Why John Lynch Suddenly is Gushing Over Trey Lance

It's about freaking time.

All of a sudden, John Lynch loves Trey Lance.

All of last year, Lynch barely mentioned Lance. Instead, Lynch gushed over Jimmy Garoppolo from the beginning of training camp until the end of the season. Said Garoppolo was having his best camp ever, even though he wasn't. 

Now Lynch has pivoted to his next quarterback -- Lance.

It's about freaking time.

Here's what Lynch said about Lance Wednesday at the NFL's Scouting Combine.

LYNCH: "It's pretty obvious we put a lot into Trey Lance, and we're loving the development of Trey. Trey had an outstanding first year. A lot of people say, 'How can you say that? He barely played.' But the development was tremendous. I think Kyle did a great job of finding ways to develop him without playing a ton of football on Sundays. I think the fact that he got some action and got to go get a taste of it was great. And I loved watching him get better in those games.

"I tell people he's everything we thought he was when we traded a lot to go get him, and more. I really believe that. And so, there's a ton of excitement. Of course, there's some unknown. There always is in this game. But Trey is made of the right stuff, both talent-wise and in his spirit. Who he is, the intangibles. Guys like playing for him, guys like being around him, and we're certainly excited to see what he can do.

"He definitely had his 'wow' moments. You could see the development, the confidence. You're on scout team, oftentimes, you're asked, 'Hey, go ahead, throw this ball in there.' But then he would, and it would still get in there. I think he attacked it the right way. I keep talking about his mental capabilities. He can handle a lot, and I think he's just got that makeup that the great ones do. We only hope he can be Patrick Mahomes or anything close to that, and he's going to get his chance to go show that."

MY INTERPRETATION:

The reason Lynch gushed over Garoppolo and not Lance last year is because Lynch was trying to boost Garoppolo's trade value. But Lynch failed. Despite all the glowing words of praise Lynch heaped onto Garoppolo, everyone knows he's an injury-prone, mistake-prone quarterback coming off surgery, and his value continues to drop.

Last year, he was worth a third-round pick. This year, the 49ers might just have to cut him.

So why keep praising Garoppolo at Lance's expense? That strategy only has created the false impression that the 49ers are unsatisfied with Lance's development.

So Lynch has given up the Garoppolo pump-n-dump, finally.

He should have done this last year.

.@49ers GM John Lynch on the future of Jimmy G and the progress he's seen from Trey Lance.

"He's everything we thought he was when we traded a lot to go get him." pic.twitter.com/w5Sf0MzJLd

— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 2, 2022