San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan turned heads and raised eyebrows Monday when asked whether quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would still be on the team’s roster the Sunday following the NFL draft.
And it had very little with whether Garoppolo would still be a 49er:
“I can’t guarantee that anybody in the world will still be alive Sunday,” Shanahan said, “so I can’t guarantee who’ll be on our roster on Sunday. So that goes for all of us.”
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Naturally, Shanahan’s answer prompted more than a few humorous responses, including from his own tight end, George Kittle:
I’ll call you on Sunday to let you know I’m alive coach
— George Kittle (@gkittle46) April 26, 2021
Aside from the mildly concerning verbiage, Shanahan’s answer is merely his way of remaining noncommittal about the future of San Francisco’s quarterback position. The 49ers were part of a blockbuster trade with the Dolphins in which they moved up nine spots — giving up a 2022 third-round pick and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 — to move up to the No. 3 overall selection of the draft.
Most viewed the trade as an aggressive move to select Garoppolo’s replacement at quarterback, someone who must be a surefire selection for the team to trade so much to have that position. The latest rumors suggest the team has narrowed its selection to Alabama’s Mac Jones or North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.