Fresh off the Deebo Samuel contract extension, the San Francisco 49ers are ready to hit the ground running in the Trey Lance era. Except for one big problem: former Niners starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is still on the roster.
That wasn't originally the plan, as 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch planned on trading Jimmy G earlier in the offseason. Unfortunately for the Niners' front office, things don't always go as planned. Garoppolo, who hurt his shoulder and thumb while leading San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game last season, had offseason surgery that derailed any potential offseason trade talks.
The Niners were able to avoid any awkward situation between Jimmy G and their second-year quarterback until things got weird Tuesday.
As Jimmy G's rehab progresses and he gets closer to practicing and being cleared to play, he's now starting to throw passes as part of his rehab regimen. Garoppolo has been at the Niners' team facilities in Santa Clara since reporting for a physical last week, but he's avoided being on the field while the team practices. That is until he was seen throwing during 49ers practice Tuesday.
Article Continues BelowThat set up an awkward situation where Trey Lance and the 49ers offense, who got in a few melees with the defense, were practicing on one side of the field while Jimmy G was throwing passes on the other side.
Here's the video of Jimmy G unfurling some passes as he gets closer to returning to the field:
Jimmy Garoppolo rolls left and throws across his body during his throwing session. Video was shot today by #49ers fan @NitensonBrian. pic.twitter.com/yez7T3vFlh
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) August 2, 2022
The 49ers clearly want to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and let Lance grow into the starting QB role, but San Francisco would like to recoup some value and avoid Jimmy G joining their NFC West division rival Seattle Seahawks. However, they should probably make sure to avoid such an awkward situation in the future.