Whenever an NFL news leak happens in the offseason, it’s often wise to analyze who would benefit from such information reaching public domain.
Looking at the 49ers quarterback situation this offseason, Colin Cowherd thinks the team is letting information out in order to better position itself in a trade. The longtime radio host was joined by Bay Area-based veteran NFL Insider Mike Silver recently on The Colin Cowherd Podcast and the two shared their theories about the information that led Adam Schefter and Joe Montana to recently say that Trey Lance might not be quite ready for the starting gig in 2022.
“[Jimmy] Garoppolo’s getting surgery, Trey Lance needs snaps, they’re not in love with Garoppolo, he’d be the fourth-most talented quarterback in the division,” Cowherd said. “They’re moving Jimmy Garoppolo. It’s over. Yet every report – and this stuff comes out because somebody wants it out – is that they’re not sure about Trey Lance. So I’m left to believe this, Mike Silver – they’re doing this, so when people call on Garoppolo, they say, ‘Hey, we don’t know if Trey Lance is good enough. We need a second[-round pick] and a starting corner.’”
Ah, so Cowherd believes it’s a leverage ploy by the 49ers. Silver nodded his head in agreement. You can see the full exchange at the 12:42 mark in the video below.
As Cowherd noted, Schefter reported earlier this week that Garoppolo will need shoulder surgery in the near future. At the NFL Combine on Wednesday, 49ers general manager John Lynch didn’t sound concerned about Garoppolo’s trade value despite the scary prognosis. Sure, Garoppolo reportedly will be able to throw again by late June or early July, but any QB’s value on the trade market is probably dinged with a surgically-repaired throwing shoulder. So, if Cowherd and Silver are to be believed, maybe the 49ers are just trying to downplay Lance in order to make Garoppolo seem like a bigger loss, when he's essentially already out the door.
For Silver, the 2022 season should belong to Lance after the 49ers used three first-rounders and a third-rounder to move up and draft him at No. 3 overall last year. Silver also relayed some information he has learned from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
“The thing that swayed me on him, even though he’s raw and he’s coming from a FCS program is – I just kept hearing how smart the kid is,” Silver said. “That’s Kyle’s dream, to have a quarterback who is on his intellectual plain. It’s hard to play quarterback. It’s a lot.”
The 21-year-old Lance might still be something of a question mark after he played in 10 meaningful quarters of action for the 49ers last season, following a 2020 when he appeared in just one game for FCS North Dakota State. But Silver is aboard the hype train.
“He’s really athletic,” Silver said. “Really talented thrower and apparently unbelievably intelligent. Like, whoa, that could be great and Kyle’s going to coach that up. He has a chance to be great. … I heard how quickly he picked it up and what they just think of him as the way he processes. That really excited me.”
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Silver also recounted a conversation he had with Shanahan last summer after the 49ers pulled off their blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins and selected Lance.
“Kyle told me last summer,” Silver said. “He goes, ‘Dude, I saw the Seahawks go get Jamal Adams and be aggressive. I saw the Rams be crazy aggressive – including beating me out for Stafford,' -- by the way, the Rams continue to stay aggressive. He goes, ‘I’m in the NFC West. Yeah, bro, I had to make a trade. Like, I’m not just going to be passive and take who we get at 12.’ I think they will trade Garoppolo. I think it’s what you said. They wanna be able to say, ‘You’ve seen it. We’re not sure about Trey Lance. Jimmy’s our guy.’”
The competition never stops in the NFL, not even in the offseason. Stay tuned to see how much the 49ers can get for Garoppolo when he’s in a sling.
