Whether he is comfortable having Jimmy Garoppolo return as his backup or not, Trey Lance said all the right things in his first media availability. The 49ers kept Lance in the loop last week as they worked on a restructured deal to bring back Garoppolo.
On Thursday, Garoppolo practiced with the 49ers for the first time since last season.
It always appeared Garoppolo would end up elsewhere in 2022, but offseason surgery on his throwing shoulder ground trade talks to a screeching halt. So, here he is, in a new position on the depth chart.
That apparently is the only thing that’s changed.
“Nothing’s changed between us,” Lance said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “I can say it a million times. He’s been my big bro, and nothing’s going to change there.”
That was Garoppolo’s message to Lance after agreeing to return.
“Just that nothing changes,” Lance said. “It makes the QB room all that much better. Another great resource for me; a guy that’s played in this offense; a guy that’s done it, who’s played a lot of ball. So for me, my mindset is Jimmy’s going to be a huge resource for me, as he always has been, since draft day.”
Still, if Lance struggles, fans and media will push for Garoppolo to replace him. Lance insists it’s not a big deal having Garoppolo behind him, because the 49ers and Garoppolo have his back.
“For me, I’m worried about what the guys in the locker room think, what I think, what the coaches think, what the guys in this organization think,” Lance said. “Outside of that, I know there’s Jimmy; there’s Trey; there’s all that. But this is going to be a collaborative group, and I know Jimmy’s going to have my back through it all.”
