The San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback situation is about to take center stage in training camp later this month.
A seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy is coming off elbow surgery. After a record-breaking performance as a rookie, he’s the odds-on favorite to earn the QB1 job for the Super Bowl contender.
San Francisco also added a former top-five pick in Sam Darnold during NFL free agency this past spring. He will be competing with former No. 3 overall selection Trey Lance for the QB2 job during camp.
If that isn’t convoluted enough, Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury less than five quarters into his sophomore campaign. The North Dakota State product has thrown all of 102 passes in two NFL seasons and 132 since the end of the 2019 season in college. To say that he’s unproven would be an understatement.
San Francisco 49ers insider Matt Maiocco touched on this situation recently, focusing specifically on Darnold and Lance. It represented continued speculation that the 49ers might be forced to move off Lance before Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“If (Lance) can’t win the No. 2 job, then the team’s going to have some very difficult decisions to make… even though they may like him, how much longer can they stay with him or does it make more sense to try to get something for him,” Maiocco on the 49ers’ situation with Lance.
Lance, 23, was involved in trade rumors leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. Though, interest in him seemed limited at that point.
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San Francisco 49ers won’t get much in Trey Lance trade
As Maiocco pointed out, how much can San Francisco expect to get for Lance in a trade in the hypothetical that he doesn’t beat out a journeyman in Darnold for the QB2 job in camp? We’re looking at probably a late-round pick in 2024 and future conditional compensation.
San Francisco’s brass of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have worked wonders with this roster. That includes two consecutive NFC Championship Game appearances.
However, the trade for Lance ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft is increasingly looking like one of the most egregious mistakes in franchise history. That included giving up two future first-round picks and change to move up from the 12th pick to No. 3 overall.
If the 49ers are forced to move on from Lance after two seasons and just 102 passes, it won’t be a great look in Northern California.