Shanahan: 49ers 'ready' for Lance
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan is happy with how the team's quarterback transition took place from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance.
"I think our team's ready for Trey," Shanahan said on "The TK Show," according to Rohan Chakravarthi of 49ers Webzone. "Going through OTAs, I'm just pumped to get to work (and) provide him some practices because I know the kid has the abilities, made of the right stuff. He just needs the reps."
Lance joined San Francisco as the third overall pick in the 2021 draft but spent his rookie campaign behind Garoppolo, who missed two games during the season due to injury.
The 49ers turned to Lance this year and are set to part ways with Garoppolo, who's expected to be traded soon. San Francisco reportedly tried to move Garoppolo in March, but shoulder surgery left the signal-caller in limbo. He'll reportedly be fully cleared to play around mid-August.
"We had an awesome run with Jimmy. It was great," Shanahan said. "But when you bring in a salary cap and things like that, there are so many tough decisions that you have to make, and we made (that decision) a year ago."
The coach added: "This is something that we did last year knowing where we wanted to go with this franchise and how you balance out a salary cap, how you balance out a roster, and Jimmy gave Trey a year that I thought he needed just to get used to this league, get his feet wet a little bit."
The 30-year-old Garoppolo has one year left on his current contract, which would be a $26.95-million hit against the 2022 salary cap. San Francisco would gain $25.55 million in cap space by trading or releasing him.
The 49ers acquired the 2021 third overall pick from the Miami Dolphins for a package that included three first-round selections. Lance was the third quarterback off the board last year. In two starts as a rookie, the North Dakota State product completed 59.6% of his pass attempts for 441 yards and two touchdowns against two interceptions.
"I know there's going to be some good," Shanahan added. "I also know there's going to be some bad, but I like the situation we're putting him in where I feel we have the team that if we can stay healthy and build the team around him, I don't think it all depends on Trey right away."