Since even before the 2021 NFL Draft, in which the 49ers traded two additional first-round picks to move up for a quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo has been walking on shaky ground.

San Francisco’s incumbent quarterback admitted as much on Wednesday as the team prepares for a playoff matchup with the Cowboys, saying the uncertainty weighed on him all season.

“It’s always in the back of your mind,” Garoppolo said. “It has been in mine, really, the whole season. I knew what type of season it was, knew everything that was going on behind the scenes and what-not. It was a little different.”

The 49ers ended up selecting Trey Lance out of North Dakota State with the third-overall pick in the draft. Lance only started one full season at the FCS school and was always viewed as a project, with Garoppolo announced as the starter well before the season began.

Still, when a team takes a quarterback as high as the 49ers did, the guy in front of him is always going to hear footsteps. There were several calls to put Lance in the starting lineup, especially as Garoppolo struggled at points throughout the season.

Garoppolo did finish the season strong, especially in the 49ers’ Week 18 comeback win over the Rams that got them into the playoffs. He threw for 316 yards in the overtime victory, leading a pair of spectacular final drives that iced the win after starting in a 17-0 hole.

These playoffs could be the end of Garoppolo’s run with the 49ers, which included a Super Bowl appearance in 2019. San Francisco will likely trade him in the offseason, giving Lance the reigns.

“You got to toe that line because you don’t want to get too emotional in those moments,” Garoppolo said. “You just got to go play football when it comes down to it. But the human side definitely comes into play. You feel it for a little bit after the game.

“And I think 24 hours after that, you have to move on quickly. And we’ve done that pretty well.”