Much doubt has been cast on the readiness of the San Francisco 49ers' soon-to-be second-year quarterback, Trey Lance. First, Joe Montana claimed the former No. 3 overall pick was not ready to play. Then, Steve Young suggested that a veteran quarterback might be a good option from the 49ers. The latest doubt-caster is ESPN's Adam Schefter, who, like Montana, suggested the 49ers might consider holding onto Jimmy Garoppolo, given the uncertainty surrounding Lance.

Lance, after all, has just two NFL starts after limited collegiate experience. Only those inside the 49ers building know the real thoughts about Lance's development. The team seems intent on trading Garoppolo and officially ushering in the Lance era.

What is the origin of all these rumors surrounding Lance's readiness to lead head coach Kyle Shanahan's complex offense? Colin Cowherd of FS1's The Herd has a theory (h/t Matt Audilet of The Spun). Maybe it's the 49ers.

No, he isn't suggesting a leak inside the building. At least, not an accidental one. Cowherd wonders if the rumors surrounding Lance were manufactured to drive up Garoppolo's trade value.


"Couldn't I argue [that] Montana, Young, Adam Schefter are all saying this benefits the 49ers?" Cowherd said. "Why? I'm a GM; I call John Lynch, [saying], 'John, we'll take Garoppolo, [give you a] third-round pick.' [Lynch could reply], 'Third-round pick? Have you seen the stories? Trey Lance isn't ready! We're going to keep Garoppolo another year.' By the way, which [is what] Adam Schefter is suggesting—Garoppolo would stay next year.

"The Niners can take all those phone calls and say, 'Hey, we're not BS-ing you here. He's not ready to play. You heard Montana. You heard Steve Young.'"


Cowherd notes all the "They're drafting Mac Jones" stories from a year ago.

"They've manipulated the media," he continued. "A lot of legitimate NFL reporters had Mac Jones-Niners done two months before the draft. ... The benefit here is if the word is out—'Trey's not ready'—it allows the Niners to say, 'Hey, we're not interested.'

"One of these NFL teams is going to say, 'OK, first-round pick and a starting corner.' That's what San Francisco may very well be doing too. If Trey isn't ready, they'll know after OTAs, but it does drive up the price."


Cowherd adds that the situation would be different had Lance played more last season and outplayed Garoppolo. If that had been the case, NFL teams would be less willing to overspend on the veteran quarterback.

"Just the cynical part of me believes there could be a little gamesmanship here," Cowherd admitted. "That's all I'm saying. A little gamesmanship."
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