49ers' Trey Lance discusses relationship with 'big bro' Jimmy Garoppolo despite replacing him as starting QB
Lance was named 49ers' QB1 earlier this week
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers officially committed to Trey Lance as their QB1.
When the Niners drafted Lance with the third overall pick in 2021 (after trading up to get it), the writing was on the wall that the Jimmy Garoppolo era in the Bay Area would end soon.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Trey Lance, #5, and San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, #10, warm up before the NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams on January 9, 2022, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA (Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
However, Garoppolo still managed to start 15 games and take the 49ers on a surprising run to the NFC Championship Game last season, which included an upset in Green Bay over two-time defending MVP Aaron Rodgers and the top-seeded Packers.
The QB room had to be awkward at times, especially with Garoppolo knowing Lance was there to replace him eventually, but Lance maintains their relationship was, and is, actually quite good.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Trey Lance, #5 of the San Francisco 49ers, looks on in the fourth quarter against the Houston Texans at Levi's Stadium on January 02, 2022 in Santa Clara, California. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
"It is what it is. It's nothing weird at all," Lance said on Thursday. "I've never had anything I could possibly say that's bad about Jimmy. He's been big bro to me since the day I came in. He could have made things hell for me, honestly, last year. He didn't. He helped me out with everything."
It is not uncommon for soon-to-be replaced quarterbacks to focus on themselves instead of assisting the heir to their own throne (Brett Favre to Rodgers to Jordan Love, and even Ryan Tannehill to Malik Willis now). Clearly though, that was not the case with Garoppolo and Lance.
Lance played in six games, throwing for five touchdowns and rushing for another. He threw for 603 yards on a 57.7 completion percentage, and he rushed for 168 yards on 38 carries.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance passes against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL preseason football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 29, 2021. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)
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He will look to bring the 49ers to their second consecutive postseason, and their third in four years. They have reached the NFC Championship in each of their last five playoff appearances, dating back to 2011.