Jimmy Garoppolo admitted he's pulling for Trey Lance, embracing the competition the two quarterbacks are going to have throughout the 2021 season. Lance is clearly the future of the 49ers, even though Garoppolo is the current starting quarterback. San Francisco didn't trade up to No. 3 to have Lance sit the bench forever, after all.
Garoppolo is going to do whatever he can to put the 49ers in the best position to win. He's willing to help the young quarterback, even though his starting quarterback job -- eventually --- will be taken away from him.
"Honestly I try not to put too much thought into that. I think that stuff just comes naturally. And it's not like I would ever hold something away from him," Garoppolo said to reporters on Lance eventually becoming the starting quarterback. "You know, I don't want to tell him this type of thing. It's just, when you let it happen organically, and that's what kind of we've done. I think that's when it's at its most natural and you can really build a normal relationship between two people.
"And so it's yeah, I wouldn't want to, I don't want to draw a line anywhere or anything like that, but anything he needs, I'm willing to help him. I think Nate (Sudfeld) and Josh (Rosen) are the same way. We've got a good group, good room right now in the QBs and it's fun to be around."
The 49ers have been very clear with Garoppolo what the plan is. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has been forthcoming with Garoppolo, calling him "the best quarterback in the building right now" and eliminating any competition talk by naming Garoppolo the starting quarterback.
Garoppolo is working with the ones and Lance with the twos. There's no friction between the two either.
"Me and Trey, we've had a good relationship. We really have," Garoppolo said. "It's a, it's sort of one of those things. It is what it is. This business is weird, but you know, at the end of the we're in that locker room, we're around each other so much that, you know, it's just business.
"If you rely on outside forces to motivate you, it's going to be tough, but at the end of the day I'm as motivated as it gets."
