The 49ers are going to draft a quarterback on April 29. What does that mean for Jimmy Garoppolo?
That depends on who you ask. Multiple reports, including one from Adam Schefter, say that the 49ers are planning on heading into this season with Garoppolo in the helm, after the 49ers traded up for the No. 3 pick in this year’s draft. One can assume if that’s true, Garoppolo would begin the season as the starter, and whoever the 49ers select would redshirt in year one.
Former 49ers quarterback Steve Young isn’t buying that. On ESPN Friday morning, Young said he believed that Garoppolo’s days are numbered, and that the trade is proof that Kyle Shanahan has lost faith in his quarterback.
“I suspect that that won’t be long to be honest with you,” Young said regarding Garoppolo on the 49ers. “There’s no reason now if you have the quarterback that you can now play. Think about what the Rams did. People thought what they did was irrational, and you can say this is irrational from the 49ers, but everyone knows in the NFL today, you have to have a quarterback that can get around, can get the extra yards, can be productive in spaces. In many ways, Kyle had already decided Jimmy wasn’t that guy, and now proof in this trade that he believes that. If that’s the case, you’ve got to believe Jimmy Garoppolo will find somewhere else to play.”
“You talk about blockbusters, this is the decade-defining trade for the 49ers. It’s clear that Kyle Shanahan has not been satisfied with the quarterback position, it has been eating at him for sometime. We’ve talked about it, around it, we’ve tried to be more aggressive about it. The truth is this is now the proof is in the pudding that they are going to get their quarterback.
“Who that’s going to be? I know they love Zach Wilson. Everyone loves Trevor Lawrence. Where Justin Fields works out? They are going to get a quarterback, and now what does that mean for the future of the team? Kyle Shanahan’s going to pick his guy that is going to define his coaching career and that’s what he always wanted. This is an amazing, life-changing event for a lot of people in the 49ers organization.”