San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is expected to miss Sunday's season opener against the Chicago Bears with a groin injury, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Kittle suffered the injury during practice on Monday and has been sidelined since.

However, there was some optimism that he would play after he told reporters Friday he was feeling "significantly better" than he did earlier in the week and would do everything possible to play against the Bears.

Kittle previously missed 11 games over the past two seasons due to injuries and hasn't played a full season since 2018. He missed eight contests in 2020 and three more last season, failing to perform up to his typical standards as he played through pain.

The 28-year-old caught 71 passes for 910 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games last season.

Ross Dwelley and Tyler Kroft will get more work with Kittle out of the lineup. Wide receivers Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings should also see a heavier workload.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan ripped the idea that the team doesn't trust second-year quarterback Trey Lance after restructuring the contract of veteran Jimmy Garoppolo to keep him on the roster.

"It sounds like a fan talking and they have zero idea of what they're talking about. Not to insult a fan or anything," Shanahan said during an appearance on KNBR, per The Athletic's David Lombardi.

Garoppolo and the 49ers restructured his contract last month. His new deal is worth $6.5 million fully guaranteed with incentives that can make it worth nearly $16 million.

San Francisco attempted to trade Garoppolo throughout the offseason but was unsuccessful due to his salary (which was nearly $27 million before the restructure) and concerns about his shoulder. He underwent shoulder surgery in March and was cleared to practice in July.

The 49ers have fully committed to Lance as their starting quarterback this year, meaning Garoppolo will serve as his backup.

However, if Lance struggles, it's reasonable to believe Shanahan will opt to start Garoppolo.

That said, Shanahan did make sure to tell his team to support Lance even if he struggles, just as it did Garoppolo in the past, via ESPN's Nick Wagoner:

"Our players also know Jimmy went through some tough times, too, and they had his back regardless of if they thought there was a better option. You've got to realize when you do struggle, those guys know it's a lot harder to play well when no one has your back. You've got to help guys through that. And I think we have got the guys who can do that. I think our guys did that for Jimmy when he was here, even when he was having some tough times and allowed him to fight through that, and I believe our guys will do the same thing for Trey.

"I understand what people outside of our locker room will say and they are right in terms of human nature to do that. But it's going to happen regardless if you don't play well."

The 49ers will open the 2022 campaign against Justin Fields, the 2021 11th overall pick, and the Chicago Bears on Sunday. It will be Lance's third career start. If he struggles early in the season, 49ers fans may call for Garoppolo to reclaim the QB1 spot.

The San Francisco 49ers could be without one of their top pass-catchers Sunday against the Chicago Bears.

Star tight end George Kittle is dealing with a groin injury that is considered "not good," according to Pro Football Network's Aaron Wilson. A source told Wilson that the injury is serious enough that it "would be best" for him to miss Week 1.

A source told Wilson that Kittle has a Grade 2 groin strain that has limited his speed.

"One of the top tight ends in the game and well known for his toughness, Kittle wouldn't shock anyone if he opted to play through the injury," Wilson wrote. "Nonetheless, his chances of playing nearly the entire season are considered much more likely if he sits out the season opener and doesn't further aggravate the injury."

Kittle injured his groin during practice Monday and didn't participate in Wednesday's practice.

The three-time Pro Bowler enters the 2022 campaign coming off a 2021 season that saw him catch 71 passes for 910 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games. He is expected to be one of second-year quarterback Trey Lance's top targets this season.

However, if he's sidelined, Lance will rely more heavily on wide receivers Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings.

The 49ers also have Charlie Woerner, Ross Dwelley and Tyler Kroft available at tight end. Kroft, an eighth-year veteran, could see most of the time filling in for Kittle.

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters Wednesday while speaking about Kroft:

"We've been a fan of Kroft his whole career. I was a real big fan of him coming out of college. And he's done well everywhere he's been. He had some injury trouble last year, I think the last couple years he's struggled to stay out there. I think that's one of the reasons we were able to get him. But Kroft, he's an NFL tight end. We feel very fortunate to have him here."

After facing the Bears, the 49ers will host the Seattle Seahawks for Week 2.

Jimmy Garoppolo is not exactly known as a dual-threat runner when he is under center, but he is apparently doing what he can to help the San Francisco 49ers prepare for Sunday's matchup against Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears.

Garoppolo is playing the role of Fields with the scout team leading up to the season opener, per 49ers reporter Cam Inman.

"It's Jimmy G," defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans said. "Doing a great job giving us great looks and scrambling around. Whatever plays are called, Jimmy is making it happen."

Garoppolo has run for 192 yards during his entire career. By comparison, Fields tallied 420 yards and two scores on the ground as a rookie and made one dazzling run against San Francisco along the way:

In theory, Trey Lance would be better suited to play the role of Fields, but he is preparing for the game as the starter. How well he performs in 2022 will go a long way toward determining San Francisco's ceiling given the overall talent around him.

The San Francisco 49ers are facing the possibility of being without one of their top offensive players in Sunday's season opener against the Chicago Bears.

Per ESPN's Field Yates, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday that star tight end George Kittle is dealing with a groin injury that could affect his status for Week 1.

Shanahan noted he was "not sure" how serious Kittle's injury is, adding, "I was hoping he'd be good today. He did it a little on Monday and not feeling good today."

Kittle is a pivotal piece of San Francisco's offense and was expected to play a big role this year as second-year quarterback Trey Lance takes over as the starter. Having a big tight end such as Kittle as his security blanket is sure to make life easier for Lance as he continues to develop.

A five-year veteran, the 6'4", 250-pound Kittle was selected to his third Pro Bowl last season after posting 71 catches for 910 yards and a career-best six touchdowns in 14 games. He signed a five-year, $75 million contract extension in 2020, which made him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL by total guaranteed money.

The 49ers restructured his deal earlier this offseason, which freed up $8.33 million in cap room.

If Kittle were to miss time, it would leave the 49ers without one of their best pass-catchers. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel is already the focal point of the team's passing attack, but he surely benefits from Kittle drawing attention from opposing defenses. Third-year wideout Brandon Aiyuk will have to prove he can be a viable No. 2 option behind Samuel.

San Francisco 49ers legend Steve Young believes the team's quarterback situation could be complicated in 2022.

"I've got my fingers crossed," Young told Cam Inman of the Mercury News. "This is great. This is hairy stuff."

Trey Lance is slated to take over for Jimmy Garoppolo as the 49ers' starting quarterback, and the attempts to trade Garoppolo this offseason were unsuccessful. The veteran eventually agreed to restructure his contract and remain on the team as a backup.

It could put more pressure on Lance as he enters his second year in the league, especially considering Garoppolo led the squad to the NFC Championship Game last season. Early struggles could have the fans calling for a change.

Young, however, sees the positives that come from increased competition for Lance.

"In some ways, Jimmy being there, holds your own feet to the fire that can be productive," Young said of Lance. "It depends how he takes it in. It seems he takes in productively, and it can be thought in of the positive."

Young was notably the backup behind Joe Montana at the beginning of his career in San Francisco before an injury allowed him to take over in 1991, eventually breaking out with an MVP season in 1992. Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021, also has enormous potential if he can overcome the threat of Garoppolo on the depth chart.

Jimmy Garoppolo surprised many Monday when he chose to remain with the San Francisco 49ers for the 2022 season rather than pushing for a trade as had been expected.

While speaking to reporters Thursday, Garoppolo said he's satisfied with staying in the Bay Area for another year.

"I think things worked out for the best," he said. "It was a lot of ups and downs, rocky roads here and there, but I think throughout the whole thing, me, I'm happy with where I'm at, happy to be with the Niners. I think the Niners are happy to have me back. I think things are working out pretty well."

Garoppolo agreed to a restructured one-year deal that includes no-trade and no-tag clauses and allows him to become a free agent in 2023. He will spend this season as the backup to second-year quarterback Trey Lance, who was named San Francisco's starter earlier this offseason.

When asked if he checked with Lance before agreeing to remain on the team, Garoppolo said he was assured by head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch that the youngster was OK with having the veteran behind him on the depth chart.

"Me and Trey, honestly, I know a lot of stuff gets made in the media and s--t like that, but we have a good relationship," Garoppolo said. "So everyone can say what they want and everything, but what we went through last year is very similar to this situation, so it's not like we haven't done it before."

While Garoppolo admitted it was "weird" to be in a state of limbo amid the trade rumors, he never specifically requested to be dealt away from the team. The 30-year-old explained that it just wasn't in his character to push for a trade.

"There was a thought of that at one point. Trust me, there was. But that came and went," Garoppolo said of the possibility of a trade request. "I don’t know. Things just kept falling into place. I’m one of those people that, you know, I don’t want to ruffle feathers too much here and there. I want to go with the flow and that’s kind of the way training camp was going, and I was happy with it."

Garoppolo added that there weren't any ideal fits for him with other teams after an eventful offseason that saw a ton of star players being moved. The prospect of controlling his own destiny in 2023 is what was most appealing to him.

"Seeing the other opportunities that were out there, you weigh the pros and cons of everything—trust me," he said. "There was a lot of back and forth going on with other teams and what I wanted my future to look like. So this is what I wanted. I’m happy with the way it worked out."

Jimmy Garoppolo isn't going anywhere after all.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers are working toward a new contract that will make him the NFL's highest-paid backup quarterback.

Per Garafolo, the deal will be worth $6.5 million guaranteed and as much as nearly $16 million. ESPN's Adam Schefter provided more details:

The team had leverage to restructure Garoppolo's contract since none of a $24.2 million base salary was guaranteed.

The Niners might have overplayed their hand with Garoppolo, whom many believed would be gone one way or the other this offseason since Trey Lance took over the starting job.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported March 21 that general manager John Lynch told interested parties the team already had an offer of two second-round picks on the table.

Lynch refuted those rumors, telling reporters a week later that Garoppolo's shoulder surgery had caused negotiations to halt. The GM also indicated he didn't expect the situation to end with Garoppolo's release.

"I don't foresee that," Lynch said. "He's too good a player. I think Jimmy will be playing for us or will be playing for someone else. He's too good of a player not to be."

That hope remained, even as the preseason approached. Rapoport said Aug. 7 that San Francisco had "no clear trade partner" and that it could wait until the final cut day before moving on.

All signs seemingly pointed toward Garoppolo's departure, but there's plenty of logic in keeping him for at least one more season.

Because so much of the discourse has centered around what Garoppolo isn't rather than what he is, it has been easy to forget he's perfectly capable.

He finished 2021 with 3,810 yards and 20 touchdowns against 12 interceptions and a 68.3 percent completion rate, and he ranked 10th in defense-adjusted yards above replacement, per Football Outsiders.

Lance is firmly the guy, but head coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged Friday that there's likely to be a learning curve in his first full year as a starter. That's not ideal for a franchise with Super Bowl aspirations.

Garoppolo is a proven alternative if things get bad, though one downside to his continued presence is that it could lead to calls to bench Lance after just one or two bad games.

If the San Francisco 49ers' preseason finale is any indication, Trey Lance is still a work in progress.

The second-year quarterback struggled throughout Thursday night's game, completing seven of 11 passes for 49 yards while failing to lead the 49ers to a scoring drive. Lance said he's not going to allow himself to get frustrated.

"Some ups and downs, for sure," Lance told reporters. "It never feels real good to lose, but I will learn from it and turn the page. I'm not going to make a bigger deal out of it than we need to. It was definitely not our best night, but like I said, we're not going to make too big a deal out of it."

Lance finished the preseason with 141 passing yards on 11-of-16 passing and ran only two times for eight yards. The 49ers largely chose to keep him in the pocket to limit the potential punishment the dual-threat takes ahead of the regular season.

It's likely we'll see a different, more aggressive version of Lance—for better or worse—once the regular season kicks off. Lance was inconsistent during his brief appearances as a rookie, throwing for 603 yards and five touchdowns against two picks while adding 168 yards and a score in the ground game. San Francisco went 1-1 in games Lance started in place of Jimmy Garoppolo, who remains on the roster but is on the trade block.

Garoppolo's future will likely be decided before Week 1, given he's due a $24.2 million base salary to serve as a backup this season. The 49ers struggled to find a trade partner because of Garoppolo's offseason shoulder surgery and were again left with their hat in their hand when the game of QB musical chairs ended before Garoppolo gained clearance.

Lance is clearly the Week 1 starter, but it would arguably be untenable to keep Garoppolo around while fully handing the keys over to the 2021 first-round pick. Any slight struggles from Lance would likely lead to some calling for the reinsertion of the veteran, perhaps hurting Lance's confidence in the process.