Surprisingly, Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract is restructured, “Jimmy G” is now the most expensive backup quarterback in the NFL. This leaves the San Francisco 49ers with two strong signal callers under contract, which doesn’t make the situation any easier for starter Trey Lance.

San Francisco/Munich – Jerry Rice is a legend in the Bay Area. The wide receiver played for the San Francisco 49ers from 1985 to 2000, he won the Super Bowl three times with the franchise from California and moved into the Hall of Fame.

What Rice says still carries weight. Which is why his thoughts on Jimmy Garoppolo are interesting. “It’s time to move on,” the 49-year-old said with regard to the quarterback as recently as Monday on the radio show “The Morning Roast”, that Trey Lance’s time had now come. But already on Tuesday things turned out differently. The 30-year-old’s contract was restructured, with Garoppolo receiving a guaranteed 6.5 million dollars for the coming season.

With bonus payments, the one-year contract can grow to 16 million euros, making “Jimmy G” the most expensive backup quarterback in the NFL. Due to a no-trade clause, Garoppolo will definitely spend the season with 49ers.

Jimmy Garoppolo could fill in for Lance at any time

Which is basically a good thing for the 49ers, of course. Garoppolo won two Super Bowls with the New England Patriots as Tom Brady’s backup, he led the 49ers to the Super Bowl in 2019 and the NFC Championship Game last season. “Jimmy G” knows the team and the playbook. With his vast experience, he could step in as a starter at a high level at any time.

And that, again, is exactly the problem. You see, Trey Lance was designated the starter by head coach Kyle Shanahan, and now the hopeful finds himself in a new competitive situation. Should Lance have a down period, the calls for Garoppolo would quickly be raised. That would be anything but conducive to the development of the young signal caller, whose future is supposed to belong in San Francisco.

Because even though “Jimmy G” is considered a team player, it is his job to seek out competition. Especially since Lance was not completely convincing in the preseason games. The “San Francisco Chronicle” promptly wrote on Tuesday that 49ers officials apparently fear Lance could be too inexperienced to lead the highly equipped team to the Super Bowl. And therefore wanted to keep Garoppolo on the sidelines.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan disagreed. “Trey is our starting quarterback. That’s why Jimmy wasn’t an option except for the backup role. And even that only became an option when it became clear that no one else was giving him the opportunity, at least until now. But that doesn’t change anything at all. I just feel like it makes us a much better team and doesn’t hurt our cap.”

In addition, the two passers have a good relationship, he said, “Trey and Jimmy have a great relationship. Trey actually likes having Jimmy on the team. Trey was also very appreciative of the way Jimmy handled himself towards him last year. “

Jerry Rice: “Trey doesn’t want to have to look over his shoulder all the time “

But does it really make sense to have such a big name as a backup in the squad? “In principle, of course, it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Rice said of the option on Monday. “But I think now is Trey’s time,” Rice elaborated, “He doesn’t want to have to look over his shoulder all the time. He’s going to have ups and downs. And then when you have a backup like Jimmy G, you might feel pressure. Because Kyle Shanahan might decide to put Jimmy back on the field after all. “

And that’s exactly what’s going to happen now. Yet it had looked all summer as if Garoppolo and the 49ers would part ways. But the franchise couldn’t find a taker, a shoulder surgery in March and a subsequent long break from training apparently deterred potential takers like the Seattle Seahawks or the Cleveland Browns. Now the 49ers refrained from cutting the quarterback and instead gave him a new contract, which alone weakens Lance’s position.

Incidentally, Lance also struggled with knee and thumb problems in his rookie season. The injury proneness of both quarterbacks could provide additional movement at the most important position. In any case, the quarterback situation in San Francisco seems to be good for one or two more stories in the coming season.