The San Francisco 49ers appear to be looking toward the future. Not just with the organization, but at quarterback as well. Most of the reports indicate that the 49ers are planning on starting Trey Lance next season. That makes last year's starter, Jimmy Garoppolo, expendable. The team likely would have traded the quarterback already had he not suffered a shoulder injury that required surgery.

That injury has held up any potential trade for Garoppolo. On Tuesday, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport detailed the progress of Garoppolo's ailing shoulder.

According to Rapoport, the 49ers QB recently visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache for a check-up and is progressing well. It sounds as though Garoppolo might be fully healthy in mid-August sometime. That would allow just enough time for a team interested in Garoppolo's services to try and acquire him.

The NFL season is set to kick off Thursday, September 9th. There are only three pre-season games now, a mid-August timeframe could allow a franchise to bring him into the fold for most, if not all, the preseason action.

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Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel with blank jerseys and question mark in the middle of both jerseys. NFL Draft logo in the background

Angelo Guinhawa ·

JaMarcus Russell (Raiders), Trey Lance (49ers), Heath Shuler (Redskins), Charles Rogers (Lions), Akili Smith (Bengals) all together with NFL Draft board as the background and NFL Draft logo in front.

Bailey Bassett ·

GM John Lynch in the middle, Jordan Morgan, TJ Tampa, Jalyx Hunt around him, and San Francisco 49ers wallpaper in the background

Enzo Flojo ·

Of course, that's assuming a trade happens as soon as he is healthy. That might not happen though. San Francisco is not likely to just give him away. The 49ers sent their 2018 2nd-round pick in the NFL Draft to the New England Patriots. But the price tag might just be determined by the level of interest from other teams.

On the one hand, Jimmy Garoppolo is a proven winner. He led the 49ers to a Super Bowl where they led in the fourth quarter, and the NFC Championship Game last season. At the same time, many people do not consider him a top-tier quarterback who can carry a team. Garoppolo's injury history also cannot be overlooked.