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The San Francisco 49ers spent an arm and a leg on Trey Lance. After years of attempting to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, it was the cheapest quarterback in the 2022 NFL draft that showed a spark.
According to one Sports Illustrated 49ers beat reporter, the team may go with Brock Purdy for the long haul, but not because they're enamored with his skills. Here's how reporter Grant Cohen put it:
"Face it. The 49ers haven't expressed much enthusiasm about Trey Lance since he broke his ankle and Brock Purdy burst on the scene... Now that Purdy looks good, Shanahan and the 49ers seem eager to name him their franchise quarterback after just eight starts and give up on Lance."
Will the San Francisco 49ers trade their quarterback?
He continued, explaining that Shanahan's top goal is to maintain his sparkly clean reputation:
"Sure, Purdy has shown glimpses of greatness. But he's also Mr. Irrelevant, and as long as he's under center, Shanahan's name will be at the top of the 49ers marquee -- just where he wants it."
Trey Lance's 2023 value sets dismal hopes for decent return on investment
After two years of struggle, the 49ers' original investment in Lance may be nearly a sunk cost. San Francisco traded two first-round picks and a third-round pick to move up to draft him, according to NBC Sports. The 49ers are still feeling the effects of the trade as one of the traded picks was a 2023 first-round pick.
In return, they have a quarterback who has started four games since the start of the 2021 season. In those games, he's thrown for five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Most NFL fans agreed that he looked shaky in his starts and after missing most of 2022, Lance's health further decreases his value.
As such, if traded, most are expecting a big net loss. Many are bracing for a single second-day (or later) pick for Lance if he is shipped off. Of course, perhaps general manager John Lynch has a pitch for interested teams that would knock their socks off.
Will the 49ers look to get back some value for their 2021 No. 3 overall quarterback selection, or is Trey Lance a bust?
