49ers news: Kyle Shanahan confirms ‘This is Trey Lance’s team’

For those thinking there’d be an outside shot the 49ers would start Jimmy Garoppolo over Trey Lance in 2022, Kyle Shanahan put that question to rest.

As long as the San Francisco 49ers have veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on the roster, there are going to be some doubts and questions as to whether or not he’d start over the second-year pro, Trey Lance.

Sure, the Niners have publicly stated all offseason they were intending to trade Garoppolo at some point during the offseason, but a shoulder surgery after they were eliminated in the 2022 NFC Championship game likely derailed those efforts.

Of course, not being able to do that led to speculation that San Francisco would keep Garoppolo instead, potentially even starting him over the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 NFL Draft.

Well, head coach Kyle Shanahan put a stop to that speculation on Tuesday.

Kyle Shanahan reaffirms 49ers will start Trey Lance this season

The 49ers began training camp on Tuesday with both veterans and rookies reporting on July 26, and it also marked Shanahan and general manager John Lynch having their opening press conference with the media.

Not surprisingly, talk of Garoppolo and Lance’s respective futures was a high point of the conversation.

When asked about Garoppolo, who did show up to training camp and met with both Lynch and Shanahan, the head coach pointed out what many a fan and analyst was wondering about heading into the new season:

"Jimmy understands where we’re at, we understand where we’re at. I can’t begin to tell you how appreciative I’ve been of Jimmy and him being here and so appreciative of what he did for us last year.I think Jimmy and we knew what move we made the year before on that. Jimmy did a hell of a job coming to camp and winning that job and taking us real close to the Super Bowl.But we have moved on to Trey."

Shanahan also confirmed he thought Garoppolo would have been traded if his surgery didn’t take place earlier this offseason, and it appears as if both sides are looking forward to a resolution that’ll benefit all parties.

Read More: Rethinking 4 teams that could trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

Garoppolo also reported to this year’s training camp, meeting with both Lynch and Shanahan, yet it remains to be seen if the quarterback will actually partake in on-field activities.

The Niners begin practices on Wednesday, July 27.

Of course, San Francisco would still have to seek out a trade partner for Garoppolo, if that’s still the route it’d like to take. Based on Shanahan and Lynch’s comments, it is. But with a drying-up quarterbacking market, the 49ers may have to wait further into camp to see how other teams’ situations under center pan out before the regular season begins in September.

In the meantime, though, any doubts about whether or not Lance will be crowned QB1 heading into 2022 should be fully put to rest.