Which 49ers QB Will Start Week 1? Odds For Jimmy Garoppolo vs. Trey Lance

49ers Week 1 Starting QB Odds

After weeks of pre-draft misdirection and drama, the 49ers finally landed their desired quarterback: Trey Lance.

The question now becomes whether Lance will be ready for the big stage come Week 1.

Vegas doesn't think so — it lists veteran signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo as the favorite to start for San Francisco in Week 1 at -278 odds (73.54% implied probability). Garoppolo, 29, is entering the fourth year of a five-year, $137.5 million deal he inked after a midseason trade to the 49ers in 2017. He dealt with numerous injuries in 2020 and started only six games, completing 67.1% of his passes for 1,096 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Lance, 21, comes in second behind Garoppolo with +220 odds (31.25%). The polarizing rookie is a bit of a wild-card coming out of a non-Power Five program at North Dakota State. He's widely regarded as a raw, gunslinging prospect with strong mechanics, athleticism and pocket presence. He's elicited concerns due to lack of experience, however, with just 17 career starts at an FCS program. He posted a 65.4% completion rate for 2,947 yards, 30 touchdowns and one interception.

Josh Rosen and Nate Sudfeld are a distant third and fourth at +3300 (2.94%) and +4000 (2.44%) odds, respectively.

Sudfeld, 27, was acquired this offseason and is officially listed as the third-string quarterback on team's depth chart. He's a 2016 sixth-round pick from Indiana who has played for the Redskins and most recently the Eagles. Sudfeld's lone appearance in 2020 was in relief of Jalen Hurts in Week 17 in which he completed five of 12 attempts for 32 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception.

Rosen — who was selected No. 10 overall just three years ago — was signed off the Buccaneers' practice squad in December, but did not take a snap all season. The 24-year-old UCLA product has already posted short stints with the Cardinals, Dolphins, Buccaneers and now the 49ers, with whom he inked a one-year, $850,000 contract extension in February. 

Garoppolo's anemic 2020 performance and speckled injury history unsurprisingly prompted the 49ers to make a strong push for a quarterback with the third overall pick in this year's draft, which they traded up for with the Dolphins (via Houston). He will likely be tasked with mentoring Lance, who would benefit by redshirting for a season while acclimating to the NFL.