With their quest for a return to the Super Bowl having fallen short by a field goal, the San Francisco 49ers now are forced to turn their attention to an offseason that features a great deal of uncertainty on many fronts.
San Francisco boasts a talented and battle-tested roster seemingly constructed to contend for years to come.
But because of circumstances at several key areas within the organization, at this point – and quite possibly throughout the offseason and even the coming preseason – 49ers brass is faced with more pivotal questions than defining answers.
For starters, the 49ers face the risk of losing both their defensive and offensive coordinators for a second straight offseason.
Last year, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh accepted the New York Jets‘ head coaching job and took passing coordinator Mike LaFleur with him. This year, both defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel are finalists for head coaching positions.
Potential departures will threaten continuity and could lead to growing pains as Kyle Shanahan revamps his staff.
But Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have an even more complex matter to wrestle with, and that involves the future of their quarterback position.
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Last spring, the 49ers pulled off a blockbuster trade to secure the third overall pick of the draft, which they used that pick on North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
The plan at the time involved grooming the ultra-talented yet extremely raw Lance behind Jimmy Garoppolo this season. Then, the Niners would move the veteran this offseason and turn things over to Lance in 2022.
But after a strong postseason showing from San Francisco, the matter isn’t so straightforward.
Garoppolo did again endured durability issues, missing two games. He again experienced ups and downs, directing impressive drives at times while killing other meaningful opportunities with errant throws and interceptions.
Garoppolo put up pedestrian numbers, recording 20 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
But he did also boast one of the highest completion percentages (68.3%) among starting quarterbacks. And, despite his limitations, Garoppolo possesses a moxie and toughness that have enabled him to deliver in many high-pressure situations. This has helped earn the respect of his teammates on both sides of the ball.
Garoppolo has helped the 49ers reach one Super Bowl and was just minutes and a defensive stop away from helping them return this year.
He went on the road and made enough plays to upset both the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers to reach the conference championship.
However, a gaffe here and there loomed large in defeat Sunday night.
So what do the 49ers do with Garoppolo?
It’s easy to say they should ship him off to the highest bidder. Given this year’s perceived weaker draft class for passers, one of the many quarterback-needy teams might offer a decent package that could help fortify the 49ers roster.
But it’s not that simple, and that’s because this roster is in contender mode while Lance remains engulfed in mystery.
Lynch and Shanahan can’t just blindly trade away a veteran of Garoppolo’s capabilities because he very well could still represent their best chance for another Super Bowl run.
It would be great if Lance were prepared to take the reins. But his readiness remains a topic of debate within the organization because the 49ers still have only a very small sample size of his capabilities.
Lance boasts a big arm and rare athleticism at 6-4 and 226 pounds . However, he went 1-1 as a starter and completed just 57% of his passes in six appearances. San Francisco’s offense didn’t impress with Lance at the helm, and he remains a 21-year-old who has started just 19 games since high school.
If 49ers brass turns the team over to Lance before he truly grasps the most crucial intricacies of NFL quarterbacking , not only do they risk setting him up for failure, they also could lose a locker room full of veterans who still possess a healthy respect for Garoppolo.
Would the 49ers do better hanging onto Garoppolo as an insurance policy for one more year? He does give his team a chance, which can’t be easily said about Lance for now.
Garoppolo remains under contract for 2022, and his salary of roughly $25 million is a bargain in the current landscape for quarterback payouts. But if the Niners kept him for 2022 and then let him walk in free agency the following offseason, they would get no compensation for him. And they could save significant money by parting with him now.
Is capitalizing on this window of prime winning opportunity worth the risk?
Would keeping Garoppolo mean starting him to open the season before eventually transitioning to Lance? Is Jimmy G. the guy all year?
Or is just falling short (whether in the Super Bowl or conference championship) Garoppolo’s ceiling? And is it better to potentially take a step backward while Lance takes his lumps next season and hope that leads to a greater payoff the following year?
The answers to these questions could dramatically shape the fortunes of the 49ers in 2022 and beyond, but reaching such conclusions could take a while, and the clock is now ticking.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco 49ers face offseason changes, Jimmy Garoppolo question