Peter King has seen almost everything in the NFL during his longtime career covering the league. But even he was surprised to see Jimmy Garoppolo work out a deal to come back to the 49ers.
King joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” Tuesday to give his thoughts on the changing situation under center for the Niners.
“I didn’t think there was any way this would happen,” King told Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. “I wouldn’t say I was floored but, I was certainly surprised.”
For King, his biggest concern is how 22-year-old Trey Lance will handle having Garoppolo as the QB2 on the roster heading into the year.
“How would you feel right now if you were Trey Lance?” King said. “He’s gotta feel to some degree like, ‘They don’t have faith in me and they gotta backstop me with the guy who brought us to the playoffs last year.’”
King added that he understands the 49ers thinking at this juncture of the offseason, and the outward projections to the media that everything is all good in the quarterback room. Still, he’s got doubts that Lance will like having Garoppolo hanging over his shoulder.
“I don't think it’s dumb,” King said. “I think it’s the best decision for 53 players on this team and the coaching staff. I wonder about the psyche of the kid from Marshall, Minnesota. That’s all. I think it’s a fair thing to wonder about. He’s gonna have to be really, really mentally tough to deal with some of the stuff he’s gonna have to deal with.”
If there’s something going in Lance’s favor, King thinks the 49ers have a soft schedule with their first six games of the year: Week 1 at Bears, Week 2 versus Rams, Week 3 at Broncos, Week 4 versus Rams, Week 5 at Panthers, Week 6 at Falcons.
“I don’t think there can be a team in the NFL happier with how the schedule falls than the 49ers,” King said.
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