San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has made a big claim about quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his future with the team. 

Jimmy Garoppolo and his future with the San Francisco 49ers has certainly been one of the big topics around the NFL this offseason. 

Despite having a record of 33-16 with the team across the regular and postseason, one of those seasons ending in a place in the Super Bowl, the number of injuries that he’s picked up clearly wasn’t enough for them to trust him, and so they brought in his heir-apparent in the form of Trey Lance.

The decision to draft Lance with the 3rd overall pick in the 2021 draft meant that there was in essence a timebomb ticking on Garoppolo’s tenure with the 49ers, with plenty of talk about where he could possibly play next. There was some thought that he might go to the Cleveland Browns following the news of Deshaun Watson’s suspension, whilst the Carolina Panthers were also brought up as a possible destination before they signed Baker Mayfield, as were the 49ers’ NFC West rival in the form of the Seattle Seahawks.

According to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan though, we shouldn’t be too eager to see what new uniform Garoppolo could be donning this season. 

Not so fast

Speaking to reporters during a recent practice session (quoted by NBCSports), when asked if Garoppolo could still be part of the team by the time the 49ers begin their season, Shanahan responded “I think any scenario is possible”, hinting that he could still be on the roster when they face the Chicago Bears in Week 1.

This does open the door for Garoppolo to potentially be the starter, because according to some reports emerging from 49ers camp, Lance hasn’t exactly been top-notch when it comes to his performances, including throwing three interceptions during a recent session.

But would keeping Garoppolo really be the best move?

Big implications either way

The 49ers certainly have a big decision on their hands. If they start Garoppolo and keep Lance as backup, they’re wasting valuable development time for him when he could and should be on the field. But if they go the other way and start Lance to keep Garoppolo as backup, then they are using up a large chunk of salary cap to just sit on the bench. 

Either way, it’s a lose-lose situation, with the only solution being to trade him, but that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon, barring an injury to a starting quarterback somewhere in the league, so it may well be that we don’t find a solution to this problem until the 2023 season.