Kyle Shanahan on Jimmy Garoppolo: We have a starting QB as a backup

The San Francisco 49ers made one of the best moves of the NFL offseason by restructuring Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract to retain him as a backup quarterback after the starting job was given to Trey Lance.

For Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the Niners, Garoppolo’s value is so high that he told ESPN that his team has two quarterbacks with the ability to start in the NFL.

“We have a starting quarterback as a backup. The rest of the league had the opportunity to acquire him and I feel very lucky that they didn't. There's no way this is bad for the team,” said the Niners head coach.

Shanahan is sure he made the right decision and emphasized that “there aren't 32 starting quarterbacks in the NFL and I think we have two of them”.

Garoppolo will begin his sixth season with the 49ers, but he will do so as a backup. In 2021, he led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game and passed for 3,810 yards, 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions after completing 68.3 percent of his passes in the regular season.

Lance is happy

The Niners drafted Trey Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 Draft in an effort to slowly build him into the quarterback of the future. According to the head coach, the second-year player is happy to have Garoppolo back on the sidelines and hopes things are like last year.

“When I told Trey that Jimmy would be back he said ”When I told Trey that Jimmy’s going to come back, he’s like, ‘Awesome. That dude was awesome for me last year. I can’t wait to be the same way.’ There is no relationship to repair, ”said the head coach.