Trey Lance’s NFL career hit 180 on Wednesday.
From landing the quarterback job on the 49ers in 2022 to falling down the depth chart all the way to third-string QB, Lance has gone from being the franchise’s man of the game to backup in no time.
Coach Kyle Shanahan broke the news to the 23-year-old on Wednesday that Sam Darnold had beat him to the QB2 job, and shortly after, Lance was notably absent from the team’s practice in Santa Clara.
“Trey handled it very well and efficiently,” said general manager John Lynch. “Murph & Mac” on KNBR Thursday morning. “He was broke and he’s right. When you put your heart and soul into something and it doesn’t come to fruition, you’re going to be devastated and that’s the kind of competitor.”
Brock Purdy, a third-string QB entering the 2022 season, was named the 2023 starter after his amazing rookie campaign ended one win away from Super Bowl LVII. Purdy’s backup role was a competition throughout training camp. And that was until Wednesday.
Lance’s absence from coaching came as a surprise to many, including teammate and 49ers captain Fred Warner. Shanahan explained Wednesday night why he and Lance had mutually agreed that the quarterback would take a leave of absence.
“Trey put his heart and soul into this as almost all players do,” Shanahan said on KNBR’s “Tolbert & Copes” on Wednesday. “These are the conversations I have to have with guys a lot – it’s never easy, it’s really tough. But it’s also tough when it’s in the spotlight as hard as it is in this position with Trey, with him being our quarterback, picking him up in the draft, So I knew that was hard for him.
We did a little training today and saw how Trey was when we talked, we thought he was better. “Hey, take a day off, get away, clear your head and we’ll talk later in the afternoon and we’ll get you back here tomorrow. “Especially the training we did today, it was our shortest workout this year, the first time we didn’t use pads. I just felt like it was the best thing for him.”
Lance, who was traded by the 49ers for a third overall pick in 2021, has faced a lot of adversity since entering the league two years ago. Injuries kept him out of action and hampered his development.
And the timing couldn’t be worse for the young caller, as San Francisco and its winning slate are now looking to get back to the Super Bowl.
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