Are Injuries the Only Reason the 49ers are Moving on From Jimmy Garoppolo?
An upgrade at quarterback was an immediate goal of the 49ers.
Once their season ended, they knew they needed to make a move at the position. When your starting quarterback immensely struggles to stay on the field, you have an enormous problem. It is passable to get by with other starters missing time. It is practically impossible to do it when the starting quarterback is out.
This has been the repeated reason as to why the 49ers had been inquiring about quarterbacks all offseason and how it led them to Trey Lance. Jimmy Garoppolo just cannot find any luck with his health. The guy is essentially walking glass considering how easily he gets injured and misses time. Even Sean McVay mentioned on the Flying Coach podcast with McVay and Peter Schrager while Kyle Shanahan was a guest that the 49ers only issue with Garoppolo is lack of availability.
But are injuries the only reason the 49ers are moving on from Garoppolo?
I am going to call shenanigans on that.
There is absolutely NO WAY the 49ers are solely moving on from Garoppolo because of his availability issues. If that were true, then the 49ers would not have gone full-court press from the moment their offseason began to inquire about upgrades. They also would not have traded hefty draft capital to move up and take Lance in the draft. They would have stood pat at No. 12 and taken Mac Jones to groom him and be the heir apparent (h/t Ben Meyerson of All49ersSI).
Injuries obviously play a part in why the 49ers are moving on from Garoppolo. And it is also possible that it is the foundation of why they were looking for upgrades. However, I completely refute it being the ONLY reason as McVay said on the podcast and as Shanahan has said multiple times. Shanahan not only wanted a quarterback he didn't have to worry about with injuries, but one that can "work from the pocket" as he constantly remarks. That is something Garoppolo struggles with. He cannot stand in there and work through his progressions or manipulate the pocket so that he doesn't run into sacks.
Instead, he turns into a tap dancer once his first read is taken away. He literally starts to freak out and panics like a deer caught in headlights. This has to frustrate Shanahan, especially when most of the time there are actually receivers wide open. This is why they ended up with Lance. Shanahan evisions him as a guy who can take the lid off of the offense. He sees him as a player that can work within the pocket and if the play isn't there, he can make something of his own with his athleticism.
Even with a healthy Garoppolo, the 49ers offense is limited. With Lance, suddenly Shanahan has a new dynamic he can add into his offense and fully optimize it. The 49ers can continue to say it, but injuries are not the only reason with Garoppolo.
