49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on Friday said quarterback Trey Lance didn’t outright request a trade when the 49ers told him he wouldn’t be their No. 2 QB this year, but he did want an opportunity to go elsewhere with an opportunity to be a backup.
He may not have demanded the team deal him, but general manager John Lynch on Friday in a press conference indicated that there was some excitement from Lance when the 49ers told him they found a deal that would move him to the Dallas Cowboys.
“Kyle and I, when we broke the news to (Lance) today, I saw him light up a little bit,” Lynch said. “He loves it here. He was very appreciative of the opportunity. Typical Trey, he apologized to us. There was nothing for him to apologize for. We’re happy that he’s got a spot, and the Cowboys came up big, and I think that’s an indication that they’re excited to have him. And we’re excited for Trey’s new opportunity, and we’ll always be big fans.”
The deal netted a fourth-round pick for the 49ers in the 2024 draft. For Lance it moves him to a team where he’ll be the backup QB behind Dak Prescott. Now Lance is one step closer to getting opportunities to be a starter, and he’ll get more practice reps in Dallas than he was going to get in San Francisco.
It’s clear the 49ers wanted Lance to stay and round out their QB room, but it is also clear from what Lynch said that Lance was eager to get out of the Bay Area and into a situation where he’s no longer third on the depth chart.
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