The San Francisco 49ers hit the football world with a bombshell earlier this week. They announced their plans for the quarterback depth chart heading into the 2023 season, shocking a lot of people.
It wasn’t a surprise that Brock Purdy would be the starter; it is what general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan have said all along. As long as Purdy was healthy, the starting spot was his.
The surprising development was who would be his backup. Sam Darnold, not Trey Lance, was announced as the No. 2 quarterback. Darnold signed with San Francisco this offseason as a free agent looking to get his career back on track after rocky tenures with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers.
Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is going to explore all options with the franchise. Trade rumors have circulated around him, as he was not at the 49ers headquarters on Wednesday. But, he returned on Thursday and Lynch foresees that continuing into the future.
While speaking to KNBR radio, Lynch confirmed that the 49ers are considering many different options with Lance. However, he believes there is a strong chance that Lance will remain with the 49ers as the team’s third-stringer.
“That’s the most likely option,” Lynch said. “We’re very happy with Trey. The most likely option is that he’s here. If we can find a landing spot for Trey that is a really good one for him and works for our organization, that’s not something that we’d turn a blind eye to. But that’s not where our focus is right now. Our focus is on Trey getting back here and us being the best football team. We’re getting close to Pittsburgh [in Week 1].”
This is certainly a quick fall from grace for Lance. The 49ers traded three first-round picks and four picks overall in a deal with the Miami Dolphins to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him third overall. It is a deal that some analysts believe will go down as one of the worst in league history.
Lance was the starter for less than six quarters thus far in his career. After sitting as a rookie in 2021, he was named the starter in place of Jimmy Garoppolo, having the entire 2022 offseason to prepare. His opportunity was cut short in Week 2 when he suffered a season-ending ankle injury.
After Garoppolo was hurt in Week 13, Purdy took over and the rest is history. He now looks to be the 49ers’ franchise quarterback, while Lance’s future with the franchise is up in the air.
