San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance stepped up to the podium after Thursday's practice, and several of the questions he was asked naturally focused on his relationship with Jimmy Garoppolo.
Lance was the No. 3 overall pick. At some point in the future, he will take over the starting quarterback job. Right now, that job belongs to Garoppolo, who is likely to be the Week 1 starter when the 49ers take the field against the Detroit Lions.
Some wondered if having a veteran and his eventual successor might create some locker-room awkwardness. But, more important, would it create an awkward situation in the quarterback room?
All indications so far point toward the answer being, "No."
Garoppolo was the first of Lance's new teammates to welcome him to the 49ers on draft night, sending him a text message shortly after the rookie heard his name called. Before the team's first training camp practice this week, the two quarterbacks could be seen smiling and joking with each other on the field.
"There's no awkwardness at all. We're good friends," Lance shared with reporters. "We get to spend a lot more time together now, and definitely looking forward to continue learning as much as I can from him. He's one of the best people I've ever been around on and off the field, so I'm just super excited to continue to learn, this year, as much as I can from him."
The whole offseason has been a learning process for Lance, who sounds eager to continue learning the playbook and learning from his new mentor, Garoppolo. Lance has a great deal of respect for the veteran.
"Jimmy played in the Super Bowl two years ago, so he does a lot of things at a really high level," Lance said. "So, it's been awesome for me. ... I watch how he operated on every single play. Like I said, I don't know if there's anyone out there better for me to learn from as a human being and as a football player."
