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The San Francisco 49ers seemed to have the perfect plan in place for Trey Lance. He was taken with the No. 3 overall pick last year, even though Jimmy Garoppolo was set as the starting quarterback. He had no pressure as a rookie, and while he did play at times, his job was to learn and develop from the sidelines.
Now, Garoppolo is on the trading block, and Lance is ready to start. Well, at least, that is the plan right now.
However, the 49ers have recently been connected to a recently retired Tom Brady, and these rumors seem to hold a little bit of truth. He grew up in the Bay Area, and the 49ers are his childhood team. That has some believing he could end up in San Francisco in what would mark a short retirement.
But what would that mean for Lance? One big fear is that he could end up being the next Jordan Love if Brady arrives out west.
Trey Lance and Jordan Love could have some serious similarities
So there are some caveats to note with this situation. One is that Brady would likely only show up for one season. Lance would, thus, still be set to start in 2023, which would be his third NFL season. Yet what if Brady shows up and wants to keep on playing? If he was still elite, the 49ers would have a tough time saying no.
That is where the young quarterback could be in a similar situation to Love. Let's say the 49ers have Brady for a year or two. The former top pick would have sat on the bench all that time, and if he only performs average in limited action, like Love, there could be major concerns.
The main difference here is that Lance was a No. 3 overall pick. So it would be a shock if he didn't get a fair chance to prove himself in San Francisco. Fans just know that teams want to win now, and that is especially true for a 49ers team willing to give up on Garoppolo after he nearly got them to the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.
One key takeaway here is that Love was not given a fair shot by the Green Bay Packers. Even their selection of him caused massive drama within the organization. He is now in a holding pattern, waiting to see if he will start in 2022 or head to the bench for an undetermined amount of time.
Lance has to be hoping his team decides they want to begin a long-term era with him as opposed to a short-term stint with Brady. If they don't, the young quarterback will remain in limbo when he should be getting a chance to start.
