Does Tuesday mark a new chapter in 49ers football history?
The players report for training camp and Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be in Santa Clara, but the starting gig isn’t his anymore. Trey Lance is ready to take over in Year 2, with practices starting Wednesday. Former 49ers tight end Vernon Davis joined CBS Sports Radio’s “Maggie & Perloff” show to give his thoughts on the quarterback situation for the Niners.
“I think it’s awesome to be able to have two great quarterbacks,” Davis said. “You never know when a guy is going to go down. You give Trey Lance his space to do what he needs to do and become the leader that he needs to be for this team and the quarterback they drafted him to be as he’s been learning from Jimmy G. I think it’s awesome. I know Jimmy G’s probably not happy. He’s probably going to be politically correct and say he’s OK with it, but on the other side, I think he wants to be that starter.”
So, Davis doesn’t think it’d be a bad thing if the 49ers carried both Jimmy G and Lance on the roster, though it seems unlikely. San Francisco has given Garoppolo permission to seek a trade and can save $25.5 million of cap space by cutting him before Aug. 30 when base salaries lock in.
Davis also realizes how the Niners used three first-round picks and a third-rounder in 2021 to move up nine spots to No. 3 overall to pick Lance, a talented but still unknown commodity at this point.
“At the end of the day, the coaches, the GM have to make a decision,” Davis said. “Trey Lance, he fits the description of what they want. I think he’s gonna do really well. It’s up to him to be able to utilize his mind because we know how talented he is. We know he can throw, he can run, he can do it all. But mentally, can he get it done? Can he be that leader that they expect him to be?”
Davis played through a similar situation in the early 2010s, when “game manager” Alex Smith was trying to fend off a talented, yet unproven dual-threat quarterback in Colin Kaepernick. Davis said he think the 49ers can make the situation work, even if it is a bit awkward with Jimmy G looming over Lance's shoulder.
“It could happen. I’ve seen it happen many times,” Davis said. “You see Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. Alex was playing well, I thought he was a tremendous quarterback, everyone was rooting for him. We didn’t know what Kaepernick could do, but he came in and was playing really well. Alex didn’t get his spot back. That’s just what it is.”
Likewise, Davis recalled the time Peyton Manning temporarily lost his starting job to Brock Osweiler with the Denver Broncos only to regain it.
Davis also weighed in on Deebo Samuel’s situation with the team, as reportedly reported to camp Tuesday but it’s unclear if his trade demand has been rescinded.
“I think If I’m the San Francisco 49ers, I’m gonna give him everything he wants. You can’t let a guy like him get away. What he brings to the game? He can do it all. He’s a running back, he’s a wide receiver. You could probably put the guy over on defense if you wanted to. He’s that talented. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s definitely one of the most exciting players the franchise has ever had.”
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