San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been the subject of plenty of trade rumors in recent months, Â with the drumbeat only growing louder leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan didn't help matters with some cryptic comments (which he walked back), and then the team selected quarterback Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick.
As of right now, it doesn't look like Garoppolo is going anywhere. Shanahan recently claimed Jimmy G will be the starter for the 49ers as Lance learns the ropes. The veteran quarterback is ready to help the rookie however he can, with Tom Brady even getting a mention.
Article Continues BelowâIt's kind of coming full circle,â Garoppolo said. âYou go through this NFL career and you start as a young guy coming in. Tom kind of showed me the ropes. The competition between us was awesome. It really made me grow as a rookie and as a young player. So, that's kind of what me and Trey, we'll mold our relationship into that. But it will happen naturally. It's one of those things you can't force anything. Just let it come as it may.â
Garoppolo learned under Tom Brady with the New England Patriots before heading to San Francisco. Like Lance, Jimmy G came from a small college. The 29-year-old is going to use his experience to impart his wisdom on the 49ers' quarterback of the future:
âI try to use my own personal experiences and just what I went through, what helped me, what challenged me as a young player,â Garoppolo said. âI'm going to use those tools that helped me and try to help Trey out. It's hard to come into this league; I know how it was coming from an FCS school to the NFL. It's a bit of an adjustment, the speed, whatever you want to call it, it's just different. So, whatever I can do to help him, I'll be more than happy.â
It remains to be seen just how long Garoppolo will be the starter and how long he'll be in San Francisco in general. Once Lance takes over, one has to imagine Garoppolo will get traded somewhere.
But as long as he's in San Francisco, Jimmy G will be a good soldier for the 49ers and help mentor Trey Lance as best as he can, just like Tom Brady did for him.