San Francisco 49ers: 3 mistakes Kyle Shanahan has made so far in 2021

No. 2: Kyle Shanahan going back and forth on 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo

Based on nearly every comment Kyle Shanahan has had about starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, from the first days of training camp all the way through Jimmy G’s calf injury in Week 4, one would assume Shanahan wants nothing more than Garoppolo to be the centerpiece of the organization for the long run.

Except Shanahan’s words contrast entirely what the 49ers were doing all offseason.

The Niners were rumored to be interested in former New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold before he landed with the Carolina Panthers. The Packers’ Aaron Rodgers was a regular part of the rumor mill, as was now-Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Heck, even Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was regularly linked to the Niners before his own legal situation became a key offseason story.

If there was one kicker, though, it was San Francisco trading up for Trey Lance in the draft. If nothing else was conclusive evidence of how Shanahan truly felt about Garoppolo, the draft trade certainly was.

Granted, Shanahan wants Lance to earn the job. But the constant endorsements of Garoppolo aren’t just confusing. They’re counterproductive, potentially to the point of dividing the locker room and creating a disjointed feeling that seems to have spread to all the players, made noticeable by the clear awkwardness present at nearly every press conference this year.

Even ones involving the usually fun-loving tight end, George Kittle.