49ers news: Deebo Samuel says Trey Lance ‘can be a superstar’

Appearing on The Jim Rome Show, 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel shared excitement about Trey Lance while also backing Jimmy Garoppolo.

San Francisco 49ers first-team All-Pro wide receiver Deebo Samuel just had the best season of his NFL career with a quarterback who’ll all but surely be off the team in a few months.

The Niners are expected to move veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, paving the way for their high-profile 2021 rookie, Trey Lance, to take over starting duties this upcoming season.

And while Samuel long backed Garoppolo and embraced him as the team’s leader, the three-year wideout is also looking forward to what Lance can offer in what’ll be his first full season as QB1.

With Super Bowl LVI just days away, Samuel spent time on The Jim Rome Show on media row in Southern California, talking both Jimmy G and Lance. And while Lance’s on-field efforts last season were limited to just two starts, thereby hiding much of the focus that otherwise would have been front and center if Lance started all season, Samuel nevertheless liked what he saw.

Deebo Samuel says Trey Lance benefited from being 49ers QB2

It’s certainly not easy being a backup quarterback, especially one taken No. 3 overall in the NFL Draft.

But that is precisely what San Francisco had in store for Lance over the course of 2021. According to Samuel, it actually benefited Lance in a lot of ways:

"I think Jimmy played a great role in being with Trey and showing him the ropes of what Kyle [Shanahan] expects. It was a good year for Trey to learn how the league goes.Me, personally, I think Trey can be a superstar in this league once he understands how to practice, the mindset and the amount of studying you need to do to be able to win in this league."

Samuel, who netted 1,770 yards from scrimmage as both a rusher and receiver last season, will be one of the many weapons needed to support Lance in what’ll be a crucible of a 2022 campaign.

But that doesn’t mean Samuel will overlook Garoppolo’s contributions from last year.

Deebo Samuel felt Jimmy Garoppolo was a true 49ers leader

While the media and fanbase were, fairly or not, harsh on Garoppolo for much of 2021, Samuel pointed out a number of elements behind the scenes that helped enamor Jimmy G with his teammates.

Particularly playing through injuries, which Garoppolo had to do after suffering thumb and shoulder sprains late in the year:

"Not too many people know what Jimmy was dealing with. When he came back the following week after he hurt his thumb, he couldn’t grip the ball the way he wanted to grip it. Minus the shoulder injury he has that nobody really knows about, it’s just how fearless he is to me. It just kind of relates to me and how I play the game."

Related Story: Najee Harris would welcome Jimmy Garoppolo to Steelers

One of the themes from Rome’s interview with Samuel was just how beloved Garoppolo was within the locker room.

And even for all his shortcomings on the field, Garoppolo seemed to command that throughout the season.

It’ll be up to Lance now to continue cementing his own relationship with players like Samuel and everyone else donning the red and gold in 2022.