The 22-year-old future NFL great started for his squad and was well-known for making shrewd and engaging plays. It’s unfortunate that the injury has ended his season. The 49ers only attempted to acquire Lance once, in the 2021 NFL Draft, when he was selected by them. His primary role during his rookie season was that of a backup. Before getting hurt, he was set to start at quarterback.
The news of his accident and surgery stunned and angered his admirers because he was just beginning his career. The 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game has been messed up by the recipient of the Walter Payton and Jerry Rice Awards.
The San Francisco 49ers’ injured Trey Lance is replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo.
Jimmy Garoppolo, who was the subject of trade rumors the whole offseason, returned to the 49ers on a restructured contract to support Lance. After taking over for Lance at center, the Super Bowl quarterback completed his first pass and guided San Francisco to its second game-winning field goal, giving them a 6-0 lead. The future implications of San Francisco’s ability to keep Garoppolo might be significant. The other quarterback for the 49ers is rookie seventh-round selection Brock Purdy, who is listed on the 53-man roster. Lance’s performance in San Francisco’s dreadful Week 1 defeat to the Chicago Bears received a lot of attention. He left less than a fifth of the way through his second start of the year.
Lance was declared out for the rest of the game by the 49ers practically immediately after the injury. He’s most likely out for the rest of the year at this point. In Garoppolo’s absence, San Francisco was able to lead Garoppolo to a rout over Seattle. He will now assume control of the campaign’s last 15 games.
Long-term impact.
The 49ers handed themselves the best edge in the league by choosing Lance last year. a rookie quarterback on a contract. They were theoretically in a great position to leverage the financial freedom Lance’s deal allowed them to stack the deck more in his favor. Of course, that is only a benefit if the quarterback succeeds. Lance’s injury has not restricted them, but if he misses the rest of the year, San Francisco will have gone two seasons with a quarterback under a team-friendly contract without reaping any on-field rewards.
The 49ers are extremely unlikely to want to commit to anything with Lance before seeing at least a year of successful performances, increasing the likelihood that they will wait until the fourth year, or even the season of his fifth-year option, before making a decision. The first rumblings about a potential extension would typically occur in the third year of the deal.
Additionally, San Francisco must now think about how to safeguard itself in case Lance returns but is unable to perform at a level required for a squad of the caliber of the 49ers. Although there is a strong chance that he will heal and come back in football shape, little is known about how he will really perform.
Given the amount of money the 49ers have spent on Lance, it becomes unlikely that Garoppolo will return in 2023, barring a trip back to the Super Bowl. The 49ers will thus need to get a new insurance plan. To his credit, Brock Purdy, the final choice in the draught, won a spot on the roster, but the 49ers wouldn’t be wise to head into 2023 with Brock Purdy as their only option to replace Lance.
A day-two quarterback from what appears to be a deep draught class will also need to be taken into consideration by the 49ers in case Lance does not work out. There is no lack of experienced stopgaps and reclamation projects ready to enter the open market next off-season. The 49ers’ management will continue to believe that Lance will succeed despite his injuries, but in light of what happened on Sunday, they are all too aware of the need to have a reliable backup plan.
