Getty 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan thought about replacing Jimmy Garoppolo with Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
The San Francisco 49ers canceled mandatory minicamp last week following two season-ending injuries, so there was not much excitement.
This week was a different story after head coach Kyle Shanahan gave the media and fans something to talk about.
On Monday in an exclusive interview with The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami, Shanahan admitted that the Niners thought about replacing Jimmy Garroppolo with Green Bay Packers MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers.
On the night before the 2021 NFL Draft, Shanahan gave Packers head coach Matt LaFleur a ring. He told LaFleur that the Niners general manager John Lynch would call Green Bay’s GM Brian Gutekust about Rodgers.
“We didn’t think we could,” Shanahan told Kawakami. “But (general manager) John (Lynch) and I were sitting there the day before the draft and you hear all the stuff that’s out there. I mean, everyone’s been putting it out there since January. And John and I were like, ‘Oh my God, what if the day after the draft Aaron Rodgers got traded and we didn’t even look into it?’ Everyone knows how good Aaron is, so you’d better look into that.”
Still, San Francisco didn’t get too far.
Shanahan continued, “And Matt told me what I pretty much thought he would. He’s like, ‘Aw, you can have him call him, do whatever you want, but you know there’s no way in hell that we’re trading him to you guys.’ … And I came in the next day, I told John, ‘You can call if you want, but I don’t want to waste your time.’ And John quickly agreed and so he never ended up calling.”
Jimmy Garoppolo Is the 49ers’ Week 1 Starter, We Think?
After failing to upgrade Jimmy G. ahead of the draft, the 49ers traded six spots up to No. 3 overall for North Dakota State quarterback, Trey Lance.
While everyone is still not sold on Garoppolo as the Week 1 start, Shanahan plans to keep him at QB1 over the rookie gunslinger.
“I definitely see it as Jimmy’s the starter,” Shanahan said. “But if Trey’s ready to compete, I have no problem with it. I don’t sit there and say, ‘Hey, we’re not playing a rookie quarterback. We have to rest him the first year.’ … I don’t really make any decisions like that until I actually have an opinion on it. And that’ll take to how I see him in camp. If he comes in and he’s playing at a high level and we think he gives us the best chance to win, we wouldn’t hesitate to do that.”
Shanahan noted that it’s hard for any rookie QB to standout over a vetted signal-caller like Garoppolo. But then he contradicted himself by saying he “has no problem” with Lance starting if he comes ready to compete at camp.
Rodgers Skipped Mandatory Minicamp
Rodgers was a “no show” at the Packers mandatory minicamp last Tuesday and is subject to fines of $93,085. He also skipped the entire offseason program and will not be getting a $500,000 workout bonus.
While he has stayed fairly quiet amid the trade rumors, it’s no secret Rodgers is unhappy in Green Bay, especially after pulling a not-so-subtle move like that one.
The Packers franchise still has plans for him to return for the 2021 season “and beyond,” but that’s of course if Rodgers reporters to training camp in July.
Rodgers was named the 2020 NFL MVP which marked his third year earning the league’s prestigious title.
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