49ers' John Lynch on Trey Lance After Cowboys Trade: 'Took a Shot and It Didn't Work'

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team is owning the decision to move Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys after trading three first-round picks for him in 2021.

"We took a shot and it didn't work out. We own that. We take accountability for it," Lynch said Friday in an appearance on CBS during the 49ers' preseason contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. "We own that."

The 49ers received a fourth-round pick from the Cowboys in return for Lance, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

"His story is still very much unwritten and I'm excited for Trey," Lynch said. "Dallas stepped up and really wanted him and they came after him. I think it's gonna be a great landing spot for him."

The 49ers moved three first-round picks, including the No. 12 selection of the 2021 draft, in order to select Lance in 2021 with the No. 3 pick.

The North Dakota State product was then limited by injury to just eight appearances and four starts in two seasons with the Niners before losing his first-string spot to Brock Purdy in 2022.

"I could tell everybody it wasn't for lack of effort on Trey's part or on our part that it didn't work," Lynch said. "Circumstances took hold, and he struggled through injuries, and this team's ready to win, and we like our quarterback room."

Earlier this week, the 49ers officially designated Lance as the team's third-string quarterback for 2023. Lynch told reporters on Thursday that Lance remaining in San Francisco was the "most likely option."

The offer of a fourth-round pick from the Cowboys was enough to change his mind.

"We wish the 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," Lynch said.