49ers feel fortunate Garoppolo stayed as backup

By JOSH DUBOW
AP Pro Football Writer

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — General manager John Lynch broached the idea a few weeks ago with coach Kyle Shanahan about keeping Jimmy Garoppolo in place as the backup quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan then broached the topic with Garoppolo but never believed it would come to fruition. Garoppolo has agreed to stay in San Francisco on a reduced contract that makes the starter who helped the Niners reach two NFC title games a backup behind the untested Trey Lance.