NFL Rumors: Trey Lance Trade to Be Explored by 49ers After Sam Darnold Named Backup

It seemed like Trey Lance was going to be the San Francisco 49ers' franchise quarterback when they selected him with the No. 3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft, but that has not been the case.

And now he could be on the way out.

Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported San Francisco will start Brock Purdy with Sam Darnold as the backup. That leaves Lance No. 3 on the depth chart, and the 49ers are "exploring options" with Lance, which implies they are considering trading him.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic confirmed the report, while Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports provided some context:

In the wake of the news, Lance was not on the field for San Francisco's Wednesday practice, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Lance has appeared in both of the 49ers' preseason games and is a combined 22-of-33 for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Those numbers are solid, although there have been reports that he struggled at times during training camp.

The North Dakota State product's inability to establish himself as the franchise quarterback the team was hoping for has not been entirely in his control.

Injuries have limited him to just eight appearances in his first two seasons. It is difficult for a young quarterback to establish any type of consistency if he is not on the field during game action, especially since he played just one contest at the collegiate level in 2020.

Lance simply hasn't played much football in the past few years, and he is now buried on the 49ers' depth chart.

He wasn't exactly dominant in his limited action in those eight NFL contests and completed 54.9 percent of his passes for 797 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. The 49ers went 2-2 in games he started.

The emergence of Purdy was one of the most incredible storylines of the entire 2022 campaign.

San Francisco selected him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, and he only got an opportunity to play because Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo were out with injuries. All he did was go 5-0 as a starter in the regular season, defeat the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Round and beat the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Round.

He suffered an injury in the NFC Championship Game loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, but it was clear Purdy showed enough to earn a starting chance again in 2023.

That leaves Lance's future with the organization very much in doubt, and the 49ers may end up trading him if they can find an interested suitor.