When the San Francisco 49ers named Sam Darnold the backup to starting quarterback Brock Purdy on Wednesday, it left Trey Lance’s future with the organization in clear doubt. Just two days later, the 49ers have traded Lance within the conference.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report on Friday night that the 49ers have traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero followed up with news that the 49ers will receive a 2024 fourth-round pick in the trade.
And this cements the Lance draft pick as a historic bust for 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan.
Lance, 23, was selected third overall by the 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft out of FCS powerhouse North Dakota State. San Francisco traded up to No. 3 from No. 12, sending the Miami Dolphins first-round picks in 2021, 2022, and 2023, as well as a third-round pick in 2022.
The good news for the 49ers is that they were able to turn a 2022 seventh-round pick into their current starting quarterback, in Brock Purdy. The Iowa State product went 5-0 in the regular and put together a 107.3 passer rating, before going 2-1 in the postseason. Purdy’s season ended with a torn UCL suffered in the NFC Championship Game vs the Philadelphia Eagles, but he’s healthy now.
For Lance, he’ll be behind at least Dak Prescott for the Cowboys’ starting quarterback position and will compete with Cooper Rush for the No. 2 job. Lance opened 2022 as the 49ers’ starting quarterback before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. He has an intriguing dual-threat skillset, and perhaps a change of scenery will help him unlock his potential.
As Schefter reports, Lance was set to play in the 49ers’ preseason game on Friday night against the Chargers until the trade happened.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.