How does that saying go? Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make? Well, something along those lines.
The 49ers found that out quickly on Sunday, when the season flashed before their eyes after Trey Lance suffered a gruesome injury. Lance will be fine following successful surgery on Monday, but his season won’t be. The team hopes to see him again in time for the start of the 2023, but luckily for head coach Kyle Shanahan, he’s got an ace in the hole.
Welcome back Jimmy Garoppolo.
After an endless offseason of rumors and trade speculation, Garoppolo is back to save the day. In fact, he is the team’s best chance to play in Arizona for the chance at a Lombardi Trophy.
Could Lance have been the piece that put them over the top? Possibly. Was he a potentially more exciting option that added more to the offense? Obviously. However, Garoppolo has been there and done that.
San Francisco’s Super Bowl odds at the beginning of September were +1500. After the Lance injury, they are widely available on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel at +2000. File that one under, “things that make no sense.”
Deebo Samuel bought in and smoothed over his offseason issues. The Niners are mostly healthy, and now they have their best quarterback at this moment in time starting for the foreseeable future. Apparently everyone forgot Shanahan’s team was only a few plays away from securing a trip to the Super Bowl last year.
Garoppolo might not be the most inspiring option, or the one that makes you most comfortable at times, but his résumé cannot be disputed.
Most importantly, has anyone considered the NFC’s season to this point? It’s not exactly impressive.. Even the NFC West isn’t off to a great start, with the Rams looking vulnerable, Cardinals being inconsistent, and the Seahawks having the quality of a CFL team. If not for a monsoon in Chicago, the Niners could be 2-0 with a conversation that looks entirely different.
Outside the NFC West, Brady’s bunch in Tampa appears to be a few more bad moments away from divorce. The Packers cannot beat the Niners come playoff time. Minnesota came crashing back down to earth. So who’s left? The Eagles and the Giants? We’ll take our chances.
In what could be Jimmy G’s final season in the bay, what better way to end it than finishing what he started with the 49ers?