For the 49ers, their run of 11 straight wins, each of which has come without multiple turnovers, puts them in good stead to advance to the penultimate round of the playoffs under the stewardship of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.
No side in NFL history has ever recorded 11 consecutive wins in a single season without conceding multiple turnovers in any of those games, with the last such occasion for the 49ers being a trio of turnovers against Kansas City in Week 7 – the second game in a row that saw three turnovers for San Francisco.
The 49ers' winning run has come with Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, excelling in a remarkable run that could result in accolades should San Francisco go all the way.
Purdy has become one of 12 QBs in NFL history to enjoy a six-start undefeated stint with 120.0 or better passer rating and had his team score over 200 points, with all the previous 11 either winning the Super Bowl or an MVP award in their careers.
Despite throwing three touchdown passes and accumulating 332 passing yards against the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round, Purdy was not at his best, finishing the game with 60 per cent passing accuracy, completing 18 of 30 attempts.
While Purdy boasted the third-most passing yards of the Wild Card round, behind only Josh Allen (352) and Tom Brady (351), only Tyler Huntley threw fewer completions (17) in last week's contests.
Averaging 11.07 yards per completion, incomplete passes did not hinder the 49ers against Seattle but better efficiency against the Cowboys may be required.
In contrast to the 49ers' fine winning streak this season, Dallas are looking to bring an end to a disappointing franchise record, having failed to reach the Championship Game in their last 11 playoff appearances.
Dallas' last Championship Game appearance came 27 years ago, on their way to victory at Super Bowl XXX, with their streak being the longest across the NFL in that regard.
Victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week was only their fifth playoff win since Super Bowl XXX, and the Cowboys' hopes rest on Dak Prescott.
Prescott enters the game on the back of a stellar performance against the Buccaneers, where he became the first QB in NFL history to complete 75 per cent of his passes (when counting players with at least 30 attempts), throw four TD passes without an interception and rush for 20 yards and a TD in a single game.
A similar performance will likely be required to cause an upset against the in-form 49ers, though last season's defeat in the Wild Card game at home to San Francisco may serve as encouragement.
San Francisco were a class above against Minnesota in the divisional-round clash on Saturday as the 49ers moved a step closer to the Super Bowl.
The 49ers will face either the Green Bay Packers or Seattle Seahawks for a place in the Super Bowl after Tevin Coleman rushed for two touchdowns, while quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw one TD.
Garoppolo finished 11 of 19 for 131 yards and an interception as he claimed his first playoff victory as a starter.
A week after their dramatic overtime win against the New Orleans Saints, the Vikings were dominated by San Francisco's suffocating defense in Santa Clara.
The 49ers drew first blood after Garoppolo's three-yard throw to Kendrick Bourne capped a 61-yard drive for a 7-0 lead, though the Vikings responded four minutes later following Kirk Cousins' pass to Stefon Diggs.
Midway through the second quarter, Eric Kendricks forced a fumble on Deebo Samuel, which was recovered by Irv Smith Jr., but the call was overturned because the replay concluded a knee was down.
The 49ers then proceeded to complete the touchdown drive – a one-yard run by Coleman finishing it off and putting San Francisco ahead 14-7.
As Minnesota tried to reduce the deficit, Dee Ford sacked Cousins – who was 21 of 29 for 179 yards, a touchdown and interception – to restrict the Vikings to a 39-yard Dan Bailey field goal.
The 49ers extended their lead in the third quarter thanks to Robbie Gould's field goal and another rushing TD from Coleman with less than five minutes remaining.
Gould nailed a 21-yard field goal in the final quarter to seal the 49ers' passage through to the next round of the postseason.
Warner being added to the list means he has either contracted COVID-19 or come into contact with a person who has tested positive.
A third-round pick in 2018, Warner has become an integral part of a 49ers defense that was among the best in the NFL last season.
He finished the regular season with 118 tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception returned for a touchdown as the 49ers topped the NFC with a 13-3 record.
San Francisco then progressed to Super Bowl LIV, with Warner intercepting Patrick Mahomes in the 49ers' 31-20 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs in February.
The 49ers confirmed the positive test in a statement on Wednesday, potentially throwing the game at Levi's Stadium into doubt.
"The San Francisco 49ers were informed today that a player has tested positive for COVID-19 and the individual immediately went into self-quarantine," their statement read.
"Our organisation has entered the NFL's intensive protocol and we are working with the league on contact tracing to identify high-risk individuals. All team functions will be conducted virtually today.
"The health and safety of our players, staff and community are the organisation’s highest priority. We will continue to work closely with the NFL and medical professionals and will follow their direction."
Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported Bourne's agent confirmed his client had tested positive, saying the receiver had no cough and was feeling "fine".
On Monday, Packers running back AJ Dillon tested positive for COVID-19 following his participation in their loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
That defeat dropped Green Bay to 5-2 ahead of the rematch of last season's NFC Championship game, which the Niners won 37-20 before losing Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 49ers, who have 12 players on injured reserve, are 4-4 and could be without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (ankle) and star tight end George Kittle (foot) for the rest of the season.
Bourne's absence, if the game goes ahead, would leave the Niners thin at wide receiver with Deebo Samuel also set to miss out with a hamstring injury.
Purdy was the most impressive rookie quarterback in the league this past season after injuries to Week 1 starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garoppolo pushed him to the top of the depth chart.
The very last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft went on to win his first eight starts for the 49ers, guiding them through to the NFC Championship Game, where he would suffer a serious elbow injury.
It occurred when he was hit on his throwing arm, overextending his elbow and ultimately producing an injury – a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) – usually seen in baseball pitchers.
The timeline for a typical UCL repair is six months, so it was scheduled for February 22 to give him a chance to recover in time for preseason camp in early August.
But Purdy was given bad news on the eve of that date, with NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reporting that the doctor recommended postponing the surgery because of persistent inflammation in the elbow.
The report states the parties will reconvene in March to re-assess the situation, and while he is still expected to make a full recovery in time for Week 1, any further delays would begin to eat into his preseason.
The pair picked up serious injuries during the 2022 campaign, with Purdy suffering a UCL tear in his right elbow during Sunday's NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Starter Lance meanwhile lasted two games before an ankle injury against the Seattle Seahawks prematurely ended his season.
Neither are focusing on the team's long-term quarterback plans however, instead focusing their efforts on ensuring they return to full fitness ahead of the 2023 campaign.
"For me to claim or say anything in terms of what's going to happen moving forward, that's out of my control," Purdy said.
"I'm going to do what I can to get healthy and be ready to compete come fall.
"There are different options in terms of letting it recover, so we still haven't come to a conclusion about any of that.
"[I'm] working with our medical team now. But there's literally nothing that I know yet for sure that is set in stone."
Purdy is looking at a best-case scenario of six months out dependent on which course of rehabilitation the 49ers choose.
Lance meanwhile is hopeful of being ready ahead of team activities in May, with the quarterback due to have his walking boot removed at the end of the week.
"I plan on being 100 per cent," he added. "I feel like I'm in a really good spot. I'm sure [my future] will be a whole story again this year for you guys.
"But I'm excited to get back out there, excited to compete."
Garoppolo was sacked by Dolphins duo Jaelan Phillips and Jerome Baker on the 49ers' first drive, staying down and eventually needing the cart to carry him back down the tunnel.
He was swiftly ruled out of the remainder of the contest due to the foot injury he sustained, with rookie Brock Purdy brought in as the 49ers' new signal-caller. Purdy was the very last pick in this year's NFL Draft, earning him the title of 'Mr Irrelevant'.
Nevertheless, Purdy closed the first half in style, delivering short-range touchdown passes to Christian McCaffrey and Kyle Juszczyk to head into the break with the 49ers leading 17-10.
At 7-4 while boasting arguably the best defense in the NFL, the 49ers' Super Bowl dreams will take a massive hit if Garoppolo's injury keeps him on the sideline for an extended period.
Garoppolo's injury came on the 49ers' eighth offensive play of the game, when he was sacked by both Jaelan Phillips and Jerome Baker to end their first drive. He stayed down, and ended up being carted off the field and promptly ruled out.
After the game it was revealed he had sustained broken bones in his foot, requiring season-ending surgery.
Starting the campaign as the third-string quarterback, Brock Purdy came in and threw two touchdown passes, managing the game efficiently before the 49ers' defense snagged a fumble-return touchdown to pull away.
Shanahan said it hurts to lose Garoppolo, but gave plenty of respect to Purdy for the performance.
"Just hearing it, it was pretty crushing," he told reporters. "We know what Jimmy has been through, how hard he's worked at this. He'll be out. He'll need surgery, broke a few things in there.
"Brock came in and made some big plays. We've got to clean some stuff up, obviously, but just throwing him in there in the heat of battle like that, [with] how much [all-out pressure] that team did, too, which you guys can see.
"We were having to change a lot of stuff on the fly, so putting a lot of pressure on [Purdy] in that way. I thought he did a hell of a job doing it. Protected the ball well, didn't have any turnovers and made some big plays too that I thought weren't there always."
The 49ers ruled out any possibility for Week 1 starter Trey Lance returning in time for a playoff run, meaning it will be Purdy the rest of the way, and he will make his first career start next week when Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers come to town.
"It’s gonna be pretty cool," Purdy said. "[Brady] has been playing football longer than I’ve been alive."
In fact, Brady played his final college game at Michigan four days after 22-year-old Purdy was born.
Defensive captain Fred Warner showed no signs of panic after he heard the news of Purdy's rise to the top of the depth chart, saying all his repetitions against this incredible 49ers defense in practice should have him ready.
"He's played against the best defense in the league for the past 13 weeks," he said. "He'll be fine."
The 49ers revealed in a statement that Lance had a fibula fracture and a ligament disruption in his right ankle.
Lance's first season as San Francisco's starter is over only two games in after the 2021 No. 3 overall pick suffered the injury in Sunday's win over the Seattle Seahawks.
Lance's right leg bent awkwardly when tackled by two Seattle defenders on a designed run on just the 49ers' second drive of the game. He was carted off after having his leg placed in an air cast and quickly ruled out of the contest.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the fracture following his team's 27-7 victory.
"It's always tough, especially when it's a big one like that," Shanahan stated. "It's a very sad moment, but you don't have time to sit there and think about it.
"We were real happy about the win, but it was a little sombre once you got in the locker room and you see him."
Lance spent his rookie season as the backup to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo, but was declared the team's starter this offseason.
The 22-year-old did struggle in last week's 19-10 road loss to the Chicago Bears, completing just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception in a game played in rain-soaked conditions.
Lance took to Twitter to post a message to thank fans for their support on Monday, writing: "Truly appreciate all of the messages and prayers. Surgery was a success and I am ready to attack this rehab process.
"We will never understand why, but I trust that it's all a part of His plan. I will be back better than ever. This chapter is going to make the story even greater!"
Garoppolo replaced Lance in Sunday's win and threw for 154 yards and a touchdown, with no turnovers on 13-of-21 passing.
"I thought he did a real good job coming off the bench, made some real key throws," Shanahan said. "I'm real proud of Jimmy and how he came in and was ready for the moment and helped us get a win."
Garoppolo did not practice at all during training camp as he recovered from shoulder surgery and spent the summer the subject of trade rumours.
The nine-year veteran ultimately remained with the 49ers on a reworked contract that slashed his 2022 salary from $24.2million to a $6.5m base, though he can earn close to an additional $9m in incentives.
The 49ers have had considerable past success with Garoppolo at the helm, as he owns a 31-14 record in 45 regular-season starts since joining the team in a trade with the New England Patriots during the 2017 season.
Garoppolo helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl during the 2019 season and led them to last season's NFC Championship Game. The 30-year-old threw for 3,810 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 15 starts in 2021.
Lance’s right leg bent awkwardly when tackled by two Seattle defenders on a designed run on the 49ers’ second drive of the game. He was carted off after having his leg placed in an air cast and quickly ruled out of the contest.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed the fracture following his team’s 27-7 victory and announced Lance is set to undergo surgery Monday.
“It’s always tough, especially when it’s a big one like that,” Shanahan said. “It’s a very sad moment, but you don’t have time to sit there and think about it.
“We were real happy about the win, but it was a little somber once you got in the locker room and you see him.”
Lance spent his rookie season as the backup to veteran Jimmy Garoppolo but was declared the team’s starter this offseason. The 22-year-old did struggle in last week’s 19-10 road loss to the Chicago Bears, completing just 13 of 28 passes for 164 yards and an interception in a game played in rain-soaked conditions.
Garoppolo replaced Lance in Sunday’s win and threw for 154 yards and a touchdown with no turnovers on 13-of-21 passing.
“I thought he did a real good job coming off the bench, made some real key throws,” Shanahan said. “I’m real proud of Jimmy and how he came in and was ready for the moment and helped us get a win.
Garoppolo did not practice at all during training camp as he recovered from shoulder surgery and spent the summer the subject of trade rumours. The nine-year veteran ultimately remained with the 49ers on a reworked contract that slashed his 2022 salary from $24.2 million to a $6.5 million base, though he can earn close to an additional $9 million in incentives.
The 49ers have had considerable past success with Garoppolo at the helm, as he owns a 31-14 record in 45 regular-season starts since joining the team in a trade with the New England Patriots during the 2017 season.
Garoppolo helped San Francisco reach the Super Bowl during the 2019 season and led the 49ers to last season’s NFC Championship Game. The 30-year-old threw for 3,810 yards and 20 touchdowns with 12 interceptions in 15 starts in 2021.
Though incumbent Jimmy Garoppolo has been the presumed starter throughout camp, Shanahan showed in Sunday's pre-season finale against the Las Vegas Raiders that he plans to use both of his QBs over the course of a game.
In revealing that Lance was injured after hitting his throwing hand on another player's helmet, Shanahan did not sound concerned about how it would affect the big picture.
"It wasn't bothering him much, because he just thought it was jammed on a helmet," Shanahan told reporters. "And then when you get all the images on it – when they showed it to me, it's a microchip of a bone that's off.
"He chipped it, which is a small chip fracture, which is worse than a jam. That's why it's not going to just heal on its own. He can't take snaps and do all that stuff right now.
"We're just going to rest it for seven days, they say, and that should make it heal and hopefully it'll be good next Monday when we get into practice."
Garoppolo and Lance rotated quarterback duties on the first two drives of the 34-10 win over the Raiders, with the veteran starting but Lance coming in after three plays for a change of pace.
Lance completed six of 13 passes for 46 yards, while Garoppolo was four-of-seven passing for 64 yards.
Neither quarterback had a touchdown pass or an interception, but each ran for a TD in the final tune-up as they previewed an unorthodox look that could give defences trouble.
"I just wanted to get live action with it," Shanahan said of using both QBs on a single drive. "We've done it in practice a couple of times and this was the last time before we're going to get in the regular season. So it's the last time you can have the opportunity to do it. I kind of wanted to do it with this game."
The 49ers open the season at the Detroit Lions on September 12.
Lance needed the additional surgery to remove hardware placed in the ankle during the original operation in September.
"Due to the location of the fracture, the required hardware placement was close to a tendon in Lance's ankle," the team’s statement said. "During the rehab process, their close proximity proved to cause irritation in his ankle. After consulting with multiple experts, the decision was made to have the hardware removed to prevent future issues in the ankle.
"Lance will continue his rehab process and is expected to make a full recovery and return for OTAs."
Drafted third overall in 2021 after San Francisco traded three first-round picks to move up nine spots, Lance assumed the 49ers’ starting job this season. He spent his rookie season mostly on the bench behind Jimmy Garoppolo.
Lance broke his ankle on a run against the Seattle Seahawks on September 18 and had surgery the next day to repair what the team called a "fractured fibula and ligament damage" in the ankle.
In eight career games, Lance is 56 of 102 for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing 54 times for 235 yards.
The 49ers lost Garoppolo to a broken foot in Week 13 this season, but they haven’t missed a beat with rookie Brock Purdy under centre, winning all three of his starts to clinch the NFC West.
It is the same injury he suffered in Week 1, and in that instance he did not return until Week 10, proceeding to contribute in three consecutive wins before bad luck struck again.
A sixth-round pick in last year's NFL Draft, Mitchell burst onto the scene with 1,100 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, but following his injury to begin this season, the 49ers made the decision to invest further in the running back position.
Their trade for former Carolina Panthers superstar Christian McCaffrey insulates the 49ers from the crushing blow of this injury, as it will result in an increased workload for the two-time All-Pro.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said he felt for the 24-year-old after the news of his impending stint on the sidelines.
"It wasn't the news we were looking for," he told reporters. "He's pretty disappointed.
"Everyone knows how good Elijah has been, how hard he worked to get back from his last one, how good he's been playing since he came back, and to kind of be right back there, I know he was real down on it.
"It's unfortunate for him. He's just had some real bad luck."
He added: "He knows what's ahead of him. He's just going to have about six weeks of frustration, but hopefully we can do our job here so when he comes back, we're still playing."
There are six weeks remaining in the regular season, and with a 7-4 record, the 49ers are a strong contender for a deep playoff run.
A day after Deebo Samuel was carted off the field, the 49ers announced that the versatile wide receiver is expected to return before the end of the regular season.
The 2021 First Team All-Pro selection suffered a sprained left ankle and MCL Sunday when he was taken down awkwardly during San Francisco’s 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Samuel has accounted for 840 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns this season.
When Samuel was carted off the field, many had feared the 49ers had lost another key contributor to a devastating injury after running back Elijah Mitchell, defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw and defensive backs Jason Verrett and Jimmie Ward all ended up on injured reserve.
Most notably, quarterback Trey Lance was lost for the season to a broken right ankle in Week 2, while his replacement, Jimmy Garoppolo, will miss at least the rest of the regular season with a foot injury.
The injuries to Lance and Garoppolo have forced the 49ers to turn to rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who made his first career start in Sunday’s victory.
Purdy responded by playing brilliantly, accounting for three total touchdowns, but did not get through unscathed, suffering an oblique injury on the second series of the game.
"I think it was a challenge for [Purdy]," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Just talking to him and seeing him after the game. I think he really toughed it out, did some real good things with it and I know he is sore today."
Purdy and the 49ers (9-4) face a quick turnaround before they play the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night.
Signed to a five-year, $85.5million contract by San Francisco in 2019, Ford appeared in just seven games over the last two seasons and 18 total regular-season contests in that three-year period.
The 49ers acquired Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs in March 2019 in exchange for a 2020 second-round pick. The 31-year-old recorded 13 sacks and made the Pro Bowl in his final season in Kansas City, then had 6.5 sacks in 11 games with San Francisco in 2019.
However, Ford missed all but one game in 2020 due to a chronic back injury that limited him to six games this past season.
The move will save the 49ers around $1.1 million in 2022 but will leave the team with over $11.6 million in dead cap space over the next two seasons.
A first-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014, Ford twice posted double-digit sack totals during his five-year run in Kansas City and has 40 sacks in 85 games over eight NFL seasons.
Garoppolo was expected to be released by the 49ers before Tuesday's deadline for teams to cut their rosters to 53 players ahead of the regular season but instead agreed a renegotiated one-year deal to stay in San Francisco.
The team had attempted to move Garoppolo this offseason as part of the transition to Trey Lance as their starting quarterback, having traded three first-round picks to select the younger man with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
An offseason shoulder injury for Garoppolo did not help matters, though, and he will instead serve as back-up to Lance after 45 starts for the 49ers and a strong 31-14 record.
"[Returning] really wasn't on my mind to be completely honest," Garoppolo said on Thursday, speaking for the first time since the news broke.
"I was training out here. I had to be here, so I was here for that reason. I was just trying to get my body right.
"I felt very confident out there, and I knew that I was ready to roll. I just needed to figure out where it was. Things kind of fell into place these last couple days."
Garoppolo had considered asking to be released by the team but said it "just wasn't the way I wanted to go".
Now, with clauses to prevent him being traded or tagged, the quarterback will have control of his career beyond 2022.
"Trust me, there was a lot of back and forth going on just with other teams and what I wanted my future to look like," he explained. "This is what I wanted."
For now, Garoppolo will continue to work with Lance, who insists that is no issue.
"It's not my decision; it's an organisation decision," Lance said.
"Jimmy's been on the roster this whole entire time. Obviously, I knew it was a possibility of bringing him back.
"There's been no bad blood at all between me and Jimmy since day one. I was all arms open, excited to have him back."
Kittle missed out on the Niners' 31-13 win over the New York Jets in Week 2 and will not feature in Week 3 as they return to MetLife Stadium to face the New York Giants.
The All-Pro suffered a knee sprain and bone bruise in the Week 1 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
He had been considered a game-time decision for the Giants clash, however, coach Kyle Shanahan elected to leave Kittle out after a discussion ahead of Friday's practice in West Virginia, where the 49ers have based themselves for the successive New York trips.
"We thought it was a lot safer to rule him out," Shanahan said in a media conference.
The 49ers are still favoured to beat the 0-2 Giants and will have to do so with backup quarterback Nick Mullens playing under center.
Mullens will start in place of Jimmy Garoppolo, who suffered a high-ankle sprain in a win over the Jets that also saw them lose defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas to torn anterior cruciate ligaments, while running backs Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman sustained knee injuries of their own.
Kittle broke out in the 2018 season as he set the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single campaign, with 1,377 in a year in which Mullens played eight games due to a torn ACL suffered by Garoppolo.
He posted 1,053 yards in 14 regular-season games last season. Jordan Reed, who scored two touchdowns against the Jets, is again likely to see a heavy workload in Kittle's absence.
San Francisco last season saw their Super Bowl hopes derailed by injuries at the game's most important position, literally running out of healthy players at quarterback in their NFC Championship Game defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
That game saw Brock Purdy suffer a torn elbow ligament on the first offensive series for the 49ers. Josh Johnson was then concussed in the second half.
Purdy, the final pick in last year's draft, had previously improbably led the 49ers to the Conference Championship.
He won all five of his starts in the regular season after taking over from an injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13 to lift them to a 13-4 record and the second seed in the NFC, and he then helped San Francisco to playoff victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Dallas Cowboys.
Purdy last week had surgery to repair his torn ligament, giving 2021 third overall pick Trey Lance, whose season-ending ankle injury suffered in Week 2 forced the Niners to turn to Garoppolo, a chance to stake his claim for the starting job during the offseason programme.
Yet with Garoppolo departing in free agency for the Las Vegas Raiders, the 49ers needed an experienced third-stringer, and they have turned to 2018 third overall pick Darnold.
Darnold has failed to live up to his draft slot in spells with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, though he did go 4-2 as a starter for the latter in 2022.
That relative success came with Steve Wilks serving as interim head coach. Wilks has since replaced new Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans as San Francisco's defensive coordinator.
In 2022, Darnold delivered an accurate, well-thrown ball on 83.2 per cent of his pass attempts, 13th among quarterbacks with at least 100 attempts, according to Stats Perform data.
Those are encouraging numbers, but the 49ers will hope Purdy and Lance can display the durability to ensure Darnold is not asked to replicate that level of accuracy in 2023.
The agency representing Lance, CAA, confirmed on Wednesday that Lance had signed his deal prior to the first training camp practice for the Niners.
His contract is a four-year, $34.1million deal with a fifth-year option that is included for all first-round picks.
San Francisco traded three first-round picks to move up to the third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and select Lance as their quarterback of the future.
However, head coach Kyle Shanahan said on Tuesday that Lance enters camp as the number two quarterback, declaring there is no competition, at present, between him and starter Jimmy Garoppolo.
"There's no open competition right now," Shanahan said. "Jimmy is coming in as the one and Trey is coming in as the two."
While the 49ers can focus on developing Lance, the Jets began camp without second overall pick Wilson, who arguably needs the practice time more as he approaches his rookie season as the unquestioned starter.
The sticking point between the two sides is offset language. A common stumbling block when signing high draft picks, the Jets and most of the NFL include offsets in their contracts, providing financial protection should a player be released before the end of the contract.
An offset effectively ensures a player cannot collect two salaries from his old team and his new team if released.
New Jets head coach Robert Saleh, who was hired following a successful spell as the 49ers' defensive coordinator, did not sound overly concerned when asked about the stand-off on Tuesday.
"This is business, [general manager] Joe's [Douglas] got a great handle on everything and when it gets done it gets done," said Saleh.
"From a rookie standpoint you need as many reps as you can, it's something he'll have to navigate through and I've got a lot of faith in Zach, too. He's incredibly intelligent, he's got tremendous drive, so when he does get here I know that somehow, some way he'll make up for it."
Mack joins the 49ers after five NFL seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, having originally been drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the first round in 2009.
The 35-year-old spent his first seven seasons in Cleveland before signing a five-year, $57.5million contract in Atlanta before the 2015-16 campaign.
"The 49ers, obviously there's a connection with Kyle Shanahan, and him as a head coach and the offense he runs, that always has been something that I know it's a system I can be really good in," Mack said on Thursday.
"It's an offense I know I can excel at, so it was a very good fit between a good team and a good spot with a good coaching staff and a place I can be a good player in."
"We are excited to add another Pro Bowl player to our offensive line," 49ers general ,anager John Lynch said.
"Throughout his career, Alex has been a model of consistency. His leadership and high character will be felt throughout our team and community."
Mack, who grew up in California, has had a decorated career, as a three-time Second-Team All Pro (2013, 2016 and 2017) and being named in the NFL's 2010s All-Decade Team.
He made 90 consecutive regular-season starts until a concussion in the 2020 season ended that run.
The 49ers missed the NFL playoffs in 2020, finishing with a 6-10 record under head coach Kyle Shanahan, who remains in charge.
San Francisco have already added cornerbacks Mark Fields and Briean Boddy-Calhoun and tight end Daniel Helm this off-season.
