Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass the ball against the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium on August 19, 2023 in Santa Clara, California.
Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Trey Lance’s future with the San Francisco 49ers is looking less certain than ever.
While a trade is among the options that the team is exploring with Lance, the big question is what exactly the 49ers can get in return for a project they’ve given up on. Lance was brought in as a raw athletic prospect after the Niners sent a Brink’s truck worth of picks to Miami for No. 3 spot in the draft.
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But that plan simply hasn’t worked out. Injuries have kept Lance from gaining proper NFL experience, which is particularly an issue given his lack of playing time even before he became a pro. His chances of starting this year dropped drastically after Brock Purdy took the Niners to the NFC Championship last season. Combine that with Kyle Shanahan’s constant glowing praise of Darnold, and this outcome seemed inevitable.
Any team that would make a move for Lance would be betting on potential. What he’s done — 797 yards and five touchdowns on 102 pass attempts over four starts and eight games in two seasons — leaves a lot to be desired. To his credit, he’s improved his throwing mechanics, has experience (albeit limited) in an offense as complicated as Shanahan’s, and showed some mobility before fracturing his ankle last year. All of that still led to a disastrous preseason performance that brought the pitchforks out. With that performance just in the rearview mirror, the Niners know they’re up against the clock. Lance’s trade value dips every day he’s not getting actively used.
Whether a team will see this news as an opportunity to add to their quarterback room, or take a risk on an unproven talent, remains to be seen. What is known, however, is that the Lance experiment seems over in San Francisco.