Colin Cowherd argues 49ers can't keep Jimmy Garoppolo with Trey Lance

The San Francisco 49ers may be out of potential buyers for veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, barring an injury, now that the Carolina Panthers are about to have former Cleveland Browns starter Baker Mayfield officially on their roster. 

Individuals such as San Francisco general manager John Lynch and team CEO Jed York previously suggested they'd be fine with keeping Garoppolo as a backup for 2021 rookie Trey Lance, who reportedly "grew leaps and bounds" serving as the club's springtime QB1 while Garoppolo recovered from March shoulder surgery. However, at least one analyst believes Garoppolo could do more harm than good regarding Lance's development if he remains with the 49ers through the fall. 

Per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, Fox Sports' Colin Cowherd discussed the situation during Thursday's edition of "The Herd" program. 

"I think Jimmy G is one of those guys, where his mere presence, you can't own a locker room if Jimmy G is in it in the cubical next to you," Cowherd explained. "He's too popular. He's too well-liked. Some guys are too talented to be a backup ... Jimmy G, if he's in the room, half the locker room's going to like him even if he doesn't start. He's just the ultimate good dude."

As Bonilla pointed out, though, the 49ers releasing Garoppolo for nothing would allow the division-rival Seattle Seahawks to immediately sign the 30-year-old. Seattle has been linked with Garoppolo since the spring and presumably would start him over Geno Smith and 2019 second-round pick Drew Lock. Lynch and company may want to avoid such an occurrence and instead hope that Lance plays well enough to silence any controversy related to Garoppolo's existence on the roster.