49ers' George Kittle believes Trey Lance has 'holy cow' high-ceiling potential

Kittle believes Lance has 'holy cow' high-ceiling potential originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

The possibility of Jimmy Garoppolo connecting to George Kittle in the 2022 NFL season wasn’t supposed to be an option, or even considered, this offseason.

But now that things have changed a bit for the 49ers and that option isn’t completely out of the picture, there’s no telling who Kittle will catch the ball from, come September.

No matter who it is, Kittle will be ready.

“I’m kind of 50-50, right in the middle, honestly,” Kittle said on the “I Am Athlete” podcast. “I think Jimmy is a fantastic leader -- we almost won a Super Bowl, NFC champions twice in three seasons. And then you look at Trey [Lance], who I think has one of the highest ceilings I’ve ever seen before. Some of the things you see him do on the football field, and you’re like, ‘Holy cow, I can’t wait 'til he throws me passes.’

“So, you know, I want whoever’s going to be the better quarterback this season. And it is a business at the end of the day. I do trust [49ers coach] Kyle Shanahan to pick the best quarterback. I don’t have a preference, I don’t. I like them both, they’re both good guys. They both bring different things to the table.”

San Francisco was supposed to be completely focused on developing 21-year-old Lance into the starting QB for the foreseeable future. As we've come to find out, that hasn’t been the case. Well, not completely at least.

The 49ers had expected to be able to trade Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason to gain draft picks and clear the way for Lance. But an offseason shoulder surgery in March had teams originally interested in the veteran QB concerned with his health. So, the 49ers are stuck with Garoppolo for now, but the intention to start Lance next season doesn’t appear to have changed.

49ers general manager John Lynch shared his level of confidence in the young QB on Monday during his annual media availability ahead of the NFL draft.

RELATED: Deebo's request complicates plan for Lance, 49ers in 2022

Lynch said although the starting QB hasn’t been officially determined just yet, he believes Lance is ready to take on the role.

But for now, the saga in Santa Clara will continue to be a waiting game.

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