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FARGO — The San Francisco 49ers are now Trey Lance's team head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday, July 26, ahead of the NFL team's training camp.
The former North Dakota State quarterback is set to start the season as the 49ers' starter after backing up veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo last season as a rookie.
"This is Trey's team," Shanahan said during a press conference along with team general manager John Lynch. "That's nothing against Jimmy. We made that decision a year ago and we're going with that. We're not going to mess around with that anymore."
Lance, who was selected No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, played in six games for the 49ers last season, making two starts. He completed 41 of 71 passes for 603 yards and five touchdowns with two interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 224-pound Lance also rushed for 168 yards and a touchdown on 38 attempts.
You know what time it is! @treylance09 x #49ersCamp pic.twitter.com/N4jGjeOps6
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 26, 2022
"We have moved on to Trey," Shanahan said. "We're starting camp out this way."
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The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Garoppolo helped lead the 49ers to last season's NFC Championship game where they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams. Garoppolo had offseason shoulder surgery, which has slowed the trade market for his services.
Shanahan said Garoppolo will do his throwing program separate from the team during training camp.
"We think Jimmy would have been traded if the surgery didn't happen, and it did, he needed to do it, so there's no ill will there at all," Shanahan said. "It's good to see that he is healthy."
Kyle Shanahan addresses the QB situation heading into #49ersCamp. pic.twitter.com/6LMiaEUmtr
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 26, 2022
Shanahan said he liked the progress he saw from Lance during OTAs (organized team activities) and likes the roster the 49ers have built.
"I love our team right now," Shanahan said. "I think our team is in a great spot to turn it over to a quarterback who hasn't played before."
Shanahan likes the processing and decision-making skills he saw from Lance while studying his film at NDSU and hopes that continues to develop as Lance transitions into a full-time NFL starter.
"That was one of the things we liked about him in college," Shanahan said.
During the offseason, Lynch said he saw Lance interact with former San Francisco QB great Steve Young.
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"It was pretty cool to look out on the field and see those guys and they talk for a long time," Lynch said. "Trey is a guy who is going to soak up as much information as humanly possible. ... We are grateful for guys like Steve who are willing to share their experiences."
