NFL Rumors: 49ers planning to trade Jimmy Garoppolo in the offseason

When Trey Lance was taken by the San Francisco 49ers with the third pick in the 2021 Draft, it was a signal of intent to Jimmy Garoppolo that his time is coming to an end.

Fast forward to the 2021 season, and the 49ers are 5-5 on the year and have shown signs of serious struggle at times with Garoppolo. The 30-year-old quarterback has thrown for 2,112 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The quarterback controversy between Lance and Garoppolo has been under the spotlight since Week 1, and there have been times when fans and even head coach Kyle Shanahan have given thought to Lance starting this year over Garoppolo.

But with Lance waiting in the wings, there is going to come a time where he has to take the wheel and control the offense. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, that time could be coming sooner rather than later.

Speaking on NFL Gameday Morning, Rapoport stated that the 49ers will be looking at trading Jimmy Garoppolo this off-season and moving forward with Trey Lance.

"Absent a Super Bowl run, which at this point is still theoretically possible, this is the 49ers' plan next season: start Trey Lance, trade Jimmy Garoppolo. Not a surprise there, they've been pretty up front about that," Rapoport said on Sunday.

"What Garoppolo is doing now is increasing the value of picks the 49ers get in a trade involving him, and they make it more likely that a place he wants to go would want to take him," Rapoport added.

This is hardly surprising as Lance is the future of the organization. When a team takes a quarterback at pick three, they are going to give them every chance to take control of the team. It now seems that season 2022 is going to be Lance's chance.

At this point in his career, Lance is not the thrower that Garoppolo is, but given how Shanahan likes to run the ball and have his offense built around it suits Lance.

His ability to run is as good as any quarterback in the league. Add to that his arm strength and you have a dual-threat quarterback with options like Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk.

Only one thing will delay Lance's chance at starting for the 49ers, and that is if Garoppolo can win the Super Bowl this season. If that does not happen, Jimmy G will be out and Trey Lance will have the keys to the 49ers kingdom.

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