(Reuters) – Trey Lance called fellow San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo a friend for life, one day after the 49ers were eliminated from the playoffs in what was likely Garoppolo’s final game under center for the team.
The 49ers drafted the 21-year-old with the third overall pick of last year’s draft but instead of seeing Lance as a threat, Garoppolo embraced his likely replacement.
“Jimmys the man, you’ve heard it from everyone,” Lance told reporters on Monday.
“He’s been a big brother to me this whole year. Whether it’s competing with him at practice or sitting in the meeting room asking him questions, he’s been nothing but great to me.
“He’s going to be one of my best friends for my whole entire life,” he added.
Garoppolo spent four seasons as Tom Brady’s backup in New England before coming to the 49ers, a team he helped lead to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2019 season.
He said he did not know what the future holds after the 49ers fell to the Rams 20-17 in Sunday’s NFC Championship game.
The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers are said to be possible destinations for the 30-year-old signal caller.
“I think these next couple days, it’ll really start to settle in a little bit,” Garoppolo said after the game.
“Emotions are high after a game, win or lose. It’s one of those things you gotta be glad it happened. Just smile from it, think about the good things,” he said.
“We’ll see what happens in these next couple days, weeks, whatever. I love this team. Just the fight and the battle in this team throughout the entire year has been really impressive.
“I love those guys.”
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)
