Getty Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field.
With the 2022 NFL season right around the corner, there have been a few San Francisco 49ers storylines that fans have been paying close attention to – the saga surrounding quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo being one of them.
Even though the 30-year-old has yet to be traded, the hype surrounding Trey Lance during this offseason has been at an all-time high with players and coaching staff praising the second-year quarterback. And now, one sports writer has left Garoppolo off his 53-man roster projection and has only two quarterbacks listed.
Trey Lance, Nate Sudfeld
ESPN writer Nick Wagoner stirred the already boiling pot when it comes to the Garoppolo talk by only listing two quarterbacks on his roster – Lance and veteran Nate Sudfeld.
“Is there a chance the Niners keep Jimmy Garoppolo around this season?” Wagoner writes. “Sure, but it’s unlikely unless it’s at a significantly reduced price. The 49ers appear ready to hand the reins to Lance and see where it takes them. Sudfeld is a veteran backup and rookie Brock Purdy is ticketed for the practice squad.”
Sudfeld was drafted by the Washington Commanders during the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft and was a backup QB for Nick Foles when the Philadelphia Eagles won Super Bowl LII in 2018.
The 49ers nabbed Iowa State quarterback Purdy with the 262nd pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
‘Jimmy’s a Great Quarterback’
While fans are ready to move on from Garoppolo, he has been praised lately by teammates, most recently defensive lineman Arik Armstead who spoke highly of the quarterback on the “Jim Rome Show” on Tuesday, June 21 along with touching base on why the team hasn’t been able to secure a championship for the city by the Bay.
“I think we’ve been close to the top of the mountain sometimes,” Armstead said. “I feel that, obviously, when you don’t win the Super Bowl, then people start pointing fingers and questioning why. Sometimes it’s really not too many reasons. Not everyone can win each year. … The quarterback position is obviously important, so he becomes the number one prime suspect of why we can’t get over the hump.
“Is it fair? I would say, ‘No, not fair.’ I think Jimmy’s a great quarterback, and like I said, I was part of a lot of losing seasons before he joined our team, and he brought a sense of a new refound energy at that position to help us win. I think he’s obviously proven he’s a phenomenal quarterback and can win games.”
Armstead also praised Lance.
“I’m really excited. I love what I saw out of him in OTAs. Granted, it was a lot of 7-on-7, and you know only time will tell.
“But I think he has the right demeanor, he has an extremely high ceiling, and an amazing skillset to be successful. I think he goes about things the right way, and I think when you have that combination, it usually turns into a pretty amazing player. So, I’m expecting great things from him, and I’m excited to see what he can do.
“But he’s not alone when he takes the field. Our team is very talented, and it’s not just the Trey Lance show. He’s surrounded by a lot of talented, great players, and we’re all going to go out there and do what we can do win games, so it’s not going to be just on his shoulders.”