If there was ever any animosity between 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and his presumed replacement Trey Lance, neither player showed it during the season. Lance on Monday said their relationship developed behind the scenes as well, and not just as coworkers looking to help the team.
“He’s going to be one of my best friends for my whole entire life,” Lance told reporters about Garoppolo in a post-season press conference. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity to have him be in front of me.”
The fact there were never reports of locker room turmoil was a testament to how Garoppolo handled a prickly situation, but Lance’s words Monday make it abundantly clear how much the veteran helped guide the team through a potentially disastrous scenario.
Veteran quarterbacks aren’t always super open to the idea of grooming their replacement, but it seems as though Garoppolo took the challenge in stride for the short and long-term betterment of the team.
Garoppolo’s tenure with the 49ers may have been tumultuous on the field, but his legacy will last beyond his years in a 49ers uniform if Lance turns into the quarterback San Francisco thinks he can be.
