After months of speculation, the San Francisco 49ers and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo decided to not yet part ways. Garoppolo has finally spoken out about the decision.

Since the 49ers drafted quarterback Trey Lance in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, it was known that Garopollo’s days could be numbered. After the season, it seemed all but guaranteed that the team would find a trade for the veteran quarterback.

Both head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch regularly spoke about what Jimmy Garoppolo meant to their franchise, but that it is now Trey Lance’s team.

The team was put into a situation where they believed they only had two options; to trade Garoppolo or to cut him.

Until last week, it seemed that cutting Garoppolo would be the only possible outcome. And then Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers shocked the NFL when they agreed on a restructured deal. Garoppolo will now spend the 2022 season with the 49ers.

On Thursday, the veteran quarterback spoke with reporters about the situation. Specifically, Garoppolo discussed how it was to be in the middle of trade conversations, just to return to the team.

Garoppolo stated, “It was weird. It was different than any situation I've ever been in, and I’ve been in some weird ones too, so that's saying something.”

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Jimmy Garoppolo went on to say, “I think things worked out for the best. It was a lot of ups and downs, rocky road here and there but I think throughout the whole thing, me, I’m happy with where I’m at, happy to be with the 49er. I think the 49ers are happy to have me back. And I think things are working out pretty well.”

The team has locked in Trey Lance as their QB1 heading into the season. But to have a player of Garoppolo’s caliber available at backup could be exactly what this team needs. Between his playoff experience and overall talent, he is arguably the best QB2 in the NFL. This decision also gives Lance another season to learn from a proven player at the position.