49ers training camp: 4 players with most to lose entering 2021

No. 1: 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

If quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo beats out the rookie signal-caller, Trey Lance, during training camp, no bother. Lance isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and Garoppolo will get at least one more shot to showcase his value to San Francisco and the rest of the league.

What if Garoppolo loses the camp competition, though?

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There are plenty of reasons why a lot is on the line for Jimmy G in camp. Specifically, $23.6 million reasons — the amount of money Garoppolo would lose if the 49ers were to move on from him before Week 1 by the way of a straight roster cut. And then $25.6 million more reasons why in 2022, as no team would come even close to giving that kind of money to him on a new contract elsewhere.

Even if the Niners elected to trade Garoppolo at some point this year, one would presume that trade partner would rework his deal, meaning a sizable chunk of the money he’s scheduled to earn would go away.

More importantly, Garoppolo would forever cement his legacy as a merely OK starter, not someone capable of being a true franchise centerpiece.

Garoppolo might have lost the last part already, but the money available on the table means he needs to outperform Lance in training camp by a wide margin.

And that won’t be easy, given the Niners are fully invested in Lance’s immediate success.