It appears the 49ers are ready to let go of quarterback Trey Lance. At least, that’s what Ian Rapoport’s report on the team fielding calls about the QB would indicate.
Rapoport’s report from “sources,” specified it was the 49ers receiving calls, not placing them. That would appear to be something coming directly from San Francisco. They’re letting teams know publicly that they’re open for business on the 2021 No. 3 overall pick.
General manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan always say they’ll listen on any player. This is different though. This isn’t a team calling them about Deebo Samuel’s trade request. This is San Francisco trying to drum up interest in its talented, young signal caller with just four NFL starts under his belt.
As recently as the NFL owners’ meetings the 49ers were ready to let Lance and Sam Darnold duke it out for the QB1 job while Brock Purdy recovered from offseason elbow surgery. They conveyed a belief in Lance and repeated the line that he just needs to play to help clear the experience hurdle that has been in his way since the COVID-19 pandemic eliminated his final college season.
Now this report surfaces and suddenly Lance’s immediate future in San Francisco appears to be in jeopardy.
So, how did we get here? Here are some theories on why the 49ers might want to trade the former No. 3 overall pick: