Raiders' Jimmy Garoppolo: Trey Lance one of 49ers' 'weird situations'

Current Las Vegas Raiders starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has plenty to say about the San Francisco 49ers' decision to trade signal-caller and former teammate Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys ahead of the upcoming season. 

"Weird situation," Garoppolo recently told Sports Illustrated’s Robin Lundberg (h/t Jeff Smith). "Been a lot of weird situations over there in San Francisco. I’ll just leave it at that. But I’m happy Trey got another shot. I’m happy he’s getting to Dallas, gets another opportunity and hopefully things work out there." 

Garoppolo helped the 49ers reach Super Bowl LIV in February 2020, where San Francisco fell to the Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch then considered replacing Garoppolo with none other than Tom Brady in free agency but ultimately decided to stick with their then-QB1. The Niners later completed a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins to acquire the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft that San Francisco used to land Lance. 

While a healthy Garoppolo remained San Francisco's starter throughout Lance's rookie season, the veteran seemingly said farewell to the organization after that campaign ended. However, Garoppolo essentially became untradeable after he had surgery on his throwing shoulder in March 2022, and he stayed with the 49ers through the end of last season via a restructured contract. 

Both Garoppolo and Lance suffered campaign-ending injuries in 2022 and then became surplus to requirements in San Francisco after Brock Purdy emerged as a rookie sensation beginning last December. Garoppolo now hopes Lance finds success with Dallas. 

"This is a weird league," Garoppolo added. "Everyone has a different story how they get to places, myself included in that. It’s never a straight line. There’s always going to be bumps in the road and some things you have to overcome and I think Trey is made of the right stuff, he’s a good dude. I love that guy. He’s a brother to me so I’m always pulling for him."