4 New Years resolutions 49ers need to make entering 2022
By Peter Panacy
While 2021 was revealing for the 49ers in many different ways, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. can start 2022 with these New Years resolutions.
The San Francisco 49ers can easily say they’ve learned a lot from their experiences in 2021, especially in light of the many unexpected developments that seemingly take place on a year-to-year basis.
With the regular season winding down and the playoffs just around the corner, head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. can hope to look forward to a more promising 2022, one which will hopefully finish with a strong postseason run and even more good fortune next season.
All that said, though, there are still some New Years resolutions Shanahan and his team need to make heading into 2022.
49ers 2022 New Years Resolutions
Perhaps they should stem from the top of the organizational level. Maybe more from a play-calling or roster-building perspective.
Whatever the cases may be, San Francisco should plan on going into 2022 with some new focal points.
Such as the four we break down for you right here.
49ers New Years Resolution No. 1: Kyle Shanahan will fully endorse Trey Lance
Partially because he has no other choice, but Shanahan also has to completely cut ties with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022 and wholly embrace Trey Lance as the team’s signal-caller.
It’s a situation Shanahan and the 49ers have largely botched this season anyway, riding somewhere in between Lance not being ready and Garoppolo giving the Niners their best chance at winning games this season.
Perhaps. But San Francisco’s massive investment to acquire Lance, one which involved sending away three first-round NFL Draft picks and a Round 3 selection, is the mark of fully committing to one player as the future.
By all respectable measure, Garoppolo will be gone in 2022 anyway, either via a trade or outright release.
Yet Shanahan’s coaching tenure with the 49ers will ultimately be defined not by Garoppolo’s term, instead rather that of Lance. This means fully backing Lance, providing him with all the support needed and the right kind of play-calling to maximize his talents.
It’ll be up to Shanahan to go all-in here and not look back.