Analysis: Though both Garoppolo and head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged in the early weeks of the offseason that the veteran signal-caller would likely be donning a different uniform in 2022, Garoppolo's ongoing recovery from right shoulder surgery along with an active trade market that resulted in several experienced quarterbacks being moved has thus far prevented the 49ers from finding a trade partner. The San Francisco brass has since talked down the possibility of Garoppolo being traded or released, but at the very least, Lance looks like he'll be given every opportunity to compete for the starting job throughout the spring and early portion of the summer. With Garoppolo still in rehab mode from thumb surgery, Lance will get the keys to the offense during OTAs and during minicamp, and with an impressive showing in those workouts, he could head into training camp in the driver's seat for the starting job even if Garoppolo is fully healthy and still on the roster by then.

Analysis: While Shanahan's unwillingness to appoint Lance to the starting role may seem worrisome to those in redraft or dynasty leagues who have invested in the 2021 first-round pick, at the same time, the coach also expressed confidence in the second-year signal-caller's ability to handle the starting job if called upon in 2022. In all likelihood, Shanahan's comments are a means of drumming up trade value for Jimmy Garoppolo (shoulder), who still remains in San Francisco while the market for starting quarterbacks around the league has mostly settled at this point in the offseason. Garoppolo already noted earlier in the offseason that he didn't expect to remain in San Francisco in 2022, and it wouldn't make much sense from a cap-management standpoint for San Francisco to keep the veteran and his massive $27 million cap hit around past the June 1 deadline to cut him with minimal financial repercussions. The possibility exists that the 49ers could ask Garoppolo to restructure his deal at a more palatable salary, but even in that scenario, the 30-year-old wouldn't be guaranteed to retain the starting gig. Even in the unlikely event that Garoppolo is still on the San Francisco roster by the summer, the smart money would still be on Lance getting the keys to Shanahan's offense in 2022.