Trey Lance already building chemistry with George Kittle

San Francisco 49ers rookie quarterback Trey Lance is already building some chemistry with star tight end George Kittle at training camp.

The San Francisco 49ers traded a lot to get North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance. A lot.

It’s understandable that, given Jimmy Garoppolo’s history of not being able to stay healthy for consistent periods of time, many of the 49ers faithful would rather see Trey Lance out on the field than the former Tom Brady protegé.

Still, Kyle Shanahan has made it clear that Garoppolo is the starter for the 49ers in 2021, and Lance is going to learn.

We saw the Kansas City Chiefs make and stick to a similar plan when they drafted Patrick Mahomes in 2017 with Alex Smith already on the roster and established as a key team leader and starting QB.

It has worked out pretty well for them.

Not every rookie quarterback has to play immediately, and obviously, Mahomes is a great example of that among many. Still, most teams expect a rather quick return on investment for young quarterbacks these days, and as unique as the 49ers’ situation is, it’s going to be tough for them to keep a dynamic talent like Trey Lance off the field.

Lance signed his rookie contract just in time for training camp and is already out there dropping dimes like this to star tight end George Kittle.

With a weapon like Kittle, Lance has plenty of room for error.

The 49ers were in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago and despite having plenty of roster turnover since that time, they are obviously believing the core they have built is going to be able to support the addition of Lance and help him be great sooner rather than later.

Lance is such an intriguing and entertaining prospect to watch, a dynamic dual-threat who had one of the greatest individual seasons of football at any level of college in 2019.

With just one exhibition game last year, Lance obviously impressed the 49ers brass and coaching staff to the point that they traded the farm to move up into the top three picks and get their guy.

With his raw talent and the players around him like George Kittle, the 49ers should have a pretty short leash on Garoppolo this season. Lance may not have started in a Super Bowl recently, but he’s the type of athlete who can dominate in today’s game with his strong arm, speed, and playmaking genes.