Trey Lance Needs to be the 49ers Starting Quarterback

Kyle Shanahan has yet to officially name a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

Kyle Shanahan has yet to officially name a starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers.

While I suspect it will be Jimmy Garoppolo, especially since Trey Lance is nursing a chipped finger, Shanahan has cited that he doesn’t see an advantage in coming out and naming one. Not a bad tactic to use to keep the Detroit Lions on their heels, but what is a bad tactic is rolling out Garoppolo as the starter for the entire season.

Lance needs to be the 49ers starting quarterback.

"Rip the band-aid off!" as my good friend Javier Vega of the 4th and Gold podcast has said. There is no reason to prolong the inevitable change of guard at quarterback. It does not matter if Lance didn't blow the doors off the preseason. That would have only made it easier for Shanahan to explain himself if he ended up naming Lance as the starter. The whole argument against Lance starting is ridiculous. 

“Lance isn’t ready yet!”

Well isn’t that EXACTLY why he should be starting? 

How on Earth is he going to improve and grow accustomed to the game by holding a clipboard? It makes no sense whatsoever. Lance hasn’t played a real season in almost two years, why would it benefit him to sit out for a second consecutive season? Incorporating him into the offense to make it a two quarterback system is not the optimal way to build Lance up as it ruins any momentum or rhythm he kickstarts. The same goes for Garoppolo. Lance needs to get the nod.

Bringing up Patrick Mahomes as an example of sitting being having successful is not a valid comparison either. Odds are Mahomes was always going to be that good to begin with. Imagine if he actually started his rookie season. The Chiefs probably would have went further that year. Regardless, he is more of an outlier than anything.

Why not compare Lance to Josh Allen?

Allen was more of a raw talent than Mahomes was at the time, so Lance can relate to him more. Allen started from the jump and took his lumps early. It was tough sledding for him in Year 1 and 2, but clearly he needed that to become the phenomenal player that he is now. 

The 49ers are credited as a team to make a bounce back year in 2021. They have superb talent and excellent coaching. Isn’t that the perfect scenario for a rookie quarterback to step into? Most rookie quarterbacks are drafted and immediately start on teams that are bottom feeders, which is why they were top picks in the first place. But the 49ers are not your normal losing team or top draft choice team.

I imagine Shanahan as a chef in a kitchen with his staff and players as ingredients. He has everything he can ask for to cook up the ideal rookie season for Lance. That isn’t to say Lance won’t have some rough moments or games, but the 49ers have enough around him to limit them and possibly overcome the mistakes. They’re able to with Jimmy Garoppolo who commits the same mistakes as Lance, except Lance has the upside of throwing deep, run the read-option, and play backyard football by scrambling. By the time the mid-to-late season arrives, Lance should be seasoned and clicking. 

Of course, that is in theory as Lance could be making mistakes or taking a lot of hits early on that eats at his psyche. If that’s the case, Shanahan needs to work with him to grow above that. Otherwise, maybe Lance wasn’t the quarterback he envisioned. Either way, putting off his development for another year is unwise. The guy has shown as the game goes on that he settles in more and is able to deliver. The same can be true by giving him the start and having him settle in as the season progresses.

What also gets lost in starting Lance is the advantage of his rookie contract. It behooves the 49ers to kickstart his development now so that he spends less time having to figure it out later when his contract only has a couple years left. That way the 49ers don’t burn a year of his rookie deal, which is like a Willy Wonka golden ticket in the NFL, and continue to surround him with high-level talent. The best case scenario, and it probably should be expected, is if Lance becomes a Pro Bowl caliber player he will command a hefty chunk of the salary cap. 

Once that happens, reaching a Super Bowl becomes increasingly difficult. Starting Lance now is the best course of action for the 49ers.