SANTA CLARA — The 49ers are yet to officially announce the Trey Lance trade to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick, but general manager John Lynch confirmed the deal during Friday’s preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Lynch joined 49ers announcers Greg Papa and Tim Ryan to begin the second quarter of Friday’s game, about three hours after the news broke about the trade.
“Really hard day,” Lynch said. “Such a wonderful young man. We took a shot and it didn’t work out. We own that. We take accountability for it. But I think – as I think you guys do – his story is still very much unwritten. I’m excited for Trey. Dallas stepped up and really wanted him. They came after him and I think it’s gonna be a great landing spot for him.”
The 49ers cut their losses with Lance, despite using three first-round picks and a third-rounder to move up from No. 12 to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to select him. It appears Lance could be in line to supplant 29-year-old Cooper Rush as the Cowboys’ QB2 behind star Dak Prescott, who is signed for two more seasons as part of the four-year, $160 million deal he signed in 2021.
Lance was in desperate need of experience after an abbreviated college FCS career at North Dakota State, but has played in just eight games (four starts) through his first two seasons.
During Lance’s rookie preseason, he fractured a finger after hitting an opponent’s helmet and it threw his mechanics out of whack. The 49ers handed Lance the keys to first-team offense in 2022, but he suffered a season-ending ankle/foot injury in Week 2.
Looking back, that five-quarter run from Lance was his only real chance to become the starting quarterback. Brock Purdy, who is also 23 years old, ran away with the QB1 job last year by winning eight straight games and leading the Niners to the NFC title game.
The writing was on the wall for Lance this past offseason when they signed veteran free agent Sam Darnold to a one-year contract, as the 26-year-old was named QB2 on Wednesday, leading to Lance missing that day’s practice to clear his head. It turns out Tuesday’s practice session was Lance’s final time in a 49ers helmet.
Despite the awkwardness with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021 and the unfortunate circumstances of his 2022 season, Lance stayed professional and positive with the media throughout the process. Lynch said there are no hard feelings from the organization.
“I could tell everybody, it wasn’t on lack of effort on Trey’s part or our part that it didn’t work,” Lynch said. “Circumstances took hold, he struggled through injuries and this team is ready to win. We like our quarterback room. We like Sam Darnold and we like Brandon Allen. We wish Trey all the best in Dallas and we’ll always care about that young man and admire his work ethic and the person that he is.”
There’s no doubt about it now, the 49ers whiffed on their Lance pick. It might be their worst selection in team history, but the emergence of Purdy on a cheaper deal has been able to keep Lynch and Kyle Shanahan’s team afloat.
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