Only two NFC teams—the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers—rank higher than the San Francisco 49ers in Dan Hanzus' latest power rankings for NFL.com. Five total teams rank higher than head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad.
Obviously, Tom Brady's return from a brief retirement boosted the Buccaneers up the charts. They were previously ranked at No. 19. Without that development, San Francisco might be ranked second in the NFC.
There is also the storyline that won't go away in Santa Clara. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, shockingly, remains on the 49ers roster. Most expected him to be traded by now. However, shoulder surgery paired with a whole lot of unpredictability in the offseason quarterback market has diminished Garoppolo's trade value.
"Who wants to make an investment in a quarterback who won't be able to throw a football for at least three more months? There's no part of me that believes any team has made an offer to SF," 49ers insider Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area recently tweeted.
With Lance expected to be the 49ers' starting quarterback in 2022, the veteran he sat behind this past season hasn't gone anywhere. And all signs point to him not going anywhere anytime soon. So San Francisco might have to wait until closer to the draft—possibly much longer—to see if another quarterback-needy team emerges.
"Jimmy G is still hanging around," wrote Hanzus. "The 49ers are likely to turn the keys of the offense to 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, but Garoppolo remains on the roster nearly a week into the new league year.
"Has Jimmy's shoulder surgery affected the market? It's hard to say, but GM John Lynch knows he remains in good position: Garoppolo is a proven entity under center, and there are a host of teams in the market for a passer in a year when the incoming draft class at quarterback is thought to be far less promising than we've become accustomed to. Patience is the order of the day."
Patience is a tough ask for a fanbase that is anxious to turn the page on the Jimmy Garoppolo era and start the chapter featuring Trey Lance.