Lower than one 12 months after being given the beginning quarterback job in San Francisco, Trey Lance is probably going on his means out. After shedding a coaching camp battle to Sam Darnold for the No. 2 QB job, Lance’s future with the 49ers is now as murky as ever.
The No. 3 total decide within the 2021 NFL Draft would possibly find yourself spending one other season with the 49ers, however there’s additionally an opportunity that he could possibly be traded earlier than the season begins. John Lynch was requested about Lance’s future during an interview with KNBR on Thursday, and though you may’t at all times belief what a GM says, Lynch appeared to supply an sincere take about what is going on to occur with Lance.
For one, he mentioned that there is undoubtedly an excellent probability that Lance will begin the season in San Francisco.
“That is the more than likely possibility,” Lynch mentioned, via ESPN. “We’re very pleased with Trey. The more than likely possibility is that he is right here.”
However, Lynch made it clear he could be greater than open to buying and selling away the 23-year-old if it is a transfer that works for everybody concerned.
“If we are able to discover a touchdown spot for Trey that could be a actually good one for him and works for our group, that is not one thing that we would flip a blind eye to,” Lynch mentioned. “However that is not the place our focus is correct now. Our focus is on Trey getting again right here and us being the most effective soccer workforce.”
Kyle Shanahan made an analogous remark Wednesday when requested if Lance would possibly find yourself getting traded, “We’ll at all times attempt to do proper for Trey,” Shanahan mentioned, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “If there’s a greater state of affairs that his coronary heart’s in and one thing like that, we’re going to ensure to not do one thing that hurts him in that means.”
The 49ers sound very open to buying and selling Lance, and one motive for that could possibly be as a result of the QB requested to be dealt. Lynch was truly requested if Lance made a commerce request following the QB’s demotion on Wednesday, and the 49ers GM ducked the query by altering the topic.
“Like I mentioned, Trey’s again within the constructing,” Lynch mentioned, by way of the Chronicle. “And we will work. We’re nonetheless ending coaching camp up. Trey understands that. We perceive that.”
If Lance did not request a commerce, Lynch merely may have mentioned that, however as an alternative, he gave a obscure reply. That is notable, as a result of at one level within the interview, he was requested concerning the rumor that the 49ers had spent a lot of the offseason attempting to commerce Lance, and he was very happy to shoot down that report.
“That is not correct,” Lynch mentioned of the report from The Athletic. “If I responded to each report, I would don’t have any time in my day, however that isn’t correct.”
Though we do not know if Lance has formally requested a commerce, we do know the 49ers let him skip follow Wednesday in order that he may digest the information of his demotion.
“Trey dealt with it extremely effectively, with class,” Lynch mentioned of how Lance reacted to shedding the battle for the No. 2 QB job. “He was devastated, and rightly so. Once you put your coronary heart and soul into one thing and it would not come to fruition, you are going to be devastated. That is the kind of competitor he’s. However we’re in an excellent place, he’ll be again within the constructing at present and we’re shifting ahead.”
The 49ers gave up lots to draft Lance in 2021, and though issues did not work out, Lynch wasn’t keen to place any blame on his younger QB. As a substitute, he appeared responsible the workforce’s teaching workers for not creating an offense that took benefit of Lance’s skillset.
“I actually give him a variety of credit score as a result of we did not, like, tailor an offense that highlights what Trey is ready to do, however I feel he grew from that,” Lynch mentioned. “He simply performed inside our offense and nonetheless confirmed a few of his capability to maneuver round, made a variety of performs.”
No matter finally ends up taking place with Lance, there is a good probability we can’t have to attend lengthy to search out out. The 49ers must have their roster all the way down to 53 gamers by Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET. The workforce presently has 4 quarterbacks — Lance, Darnold, Brock Purdy and Brandon Allen — and a kind of guys will virtually definitely be passed by that Tuesday deadline for the reason that 49ers will not be carrying 4 quarterbacks on the roster.
As Lynch mentioned, if the 49ers get an inexpensive supply for Lance, they’re going to be open to buying and selling him, in order that might be one thing to observe for over the subsequent few days. However, if the 49ers cannot discover a commerce associate, then Lance will probably stick round for at the least another season. The rationale for that’s because the team would take on $14.6 million in useless cash in the event that they have been to launch him, and that is not a quantity the 49ers can actually afford to cope with proper now.
After all, even when Lance begins the season on the 49ers roster, that does not imply he’ll finish the season in San Francisco. The 49ers may preserve him for the beginning of the common season after which look to deal him away earlier than the Oct. 31 commerce deadline, a transfer that will be made a lot simpler if one other workforce have been to get hit with an sudden QB harm between from time to time.
