The Trey Lance era in San Francisco has officially begun.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Tuesday that veteran Jimmy Garoppolo has been told he doesn’t figure into the team’s plans this season and that Lance, entering his second NFL season, will take over as the starting quarterback.
“Jimmy understands where we’re at, we understand where we’re at,” said Shanahan, flanked by general manager John Lynch. “I can’t tell you how appreciative I have been of Jimmy and him being here and so appreciate what he did for us last year … and taking us real close to the Super Bowl but we have moved on to Trey.”
Garoppolo had offseason shoulder surgery, which Shanahan said has hampered the 49ers’ ability to trade him. Now healthy, Garoppolo will follow a throwing routine on the side and won’t be part of the active training camp roster.
“We don’t plan on (Garoppolo) practicing with the team and things like that, and we’ll take it day by day and constantly talk with him and hope we can figure out the best for both” parties, Shanahan said.
Lynch also said Tuesday that star receiver Deebo Samuel is in camp, despite requesting to be traded in April during a contract stalemate.
Lynch said while a resolution isn’t just around the corner, the two sides are working toward one.
“We’ve had really productive and substantive talks,” Lynch said. “I don’t want to get everyone all excited that something is imminent because we’re not there yet. But we’re really hopeful that, in the near future, we’ll be able to announce something that’s exciting for everyone involved. So that’s good. Deebo’s here today, and we’re excited about moving forward with him as part of this team.”
Samuel, 26, recently requested the trade on the heels of his breakout season. He is heading into the last year of his $7.25 million rookie deal and is due to make $3.99 million this year with a salary-cap hit of $4.89 million, according to Spotrac.
Samuel made the Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro last season after proving to be effective as both a ball carrier and a pass catcher. He made 77 receptions for 1,405 yards (a league-leading 18.2 yards per catch) and six touchdowns, and he added 59 carries for 365 yards and eight touchdowns.
Garoppolo, 30, carries a $26.95 million cap hit for 2022, the final season of a five-year, $137.5 million deal he signed with San Francisco in February 2018.
He went 9-6 as the starter last season, completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 3,810 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
–Field Level Media