The San Francisco 49ers traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys after investing a substantial $28,000,000 for just four NFL starts. The move has left many questioning Kyle Shanahan and the team management’s decision-making. The whole scenario has also caught fire especially because the 49ers made a significant bet on Lance during the 2021 NFL draft.
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In a surprising turn of events, head coach Kyle Shanahan has taken full responsibility for the situation. While addressing a pool of reporters after Lance’s trade to the Dallas Cowboys, Shanahan acknowledged the weight of the team’s failure to capitalize on Lance’s potential.
Hope and Regret: Kyle Shanahan has Mixed Emotions for Trey Lance
The QB saga involving Trey Lance took a surprising turn when his trade to the Dallas Cowboys was finalized in return for a 2024 fourth-round pick. This event marked the end of Trey Lance’s horrendous tenure with the Niners. His stint at 49ers was riddled with limited playing time and high expectations.
Amidst all the drama, HC Kyle Shanahan addressed the situation revolving around Trey Lance. While Shanahan wanted to retain Lance, he understood that the young QB needed a change of scenery to gain some confidence. As per a Tweet by 49ers on NBC, Kyle said,
“I felt it was time to move on, for him and for us. We’d love to keep him, but the clock ran out. We had to make a tough decision. I always feel like I let Trey down. I wanted him to come here, and I believed in him before we took him.”
Shanahan cited some problems that Lance faced when he arrived at the 49ers. He said, “I had a tough conversation with him. I told him he was going to be the 3. If he could find another opportunity that was good, we’d allow him to do that. That really hurt him at first. Because he had to adjust how he threw. I always felt for him. Sometimes things just don’t work out.”
It is evident that Shanahan still had some hope left for Trey Lance. Maybe he wanted to give him some more chances to redeem himself. However, in the larger scheme of things, it looks like the trade to the Dallas Cowboys may eventually prove good for all parties involved.
Is Lack of Playing Time the Reason for Trey Lance’s Failure at the 49ers?
The situation for Trey Lance at the Niners became complex by the day. He came as the No. 3 draft pick in 2021, only to find himself competing for the backup role. With the San Francisco 49ers signing Brock Purdy, who hit the ground running as soon as he arrived, Lance found himself further down the pecking order. Although he only played 8 games for the Niners across two seasons, Trey Lance couldn’t deliver on the hype that made the team invest so heavily in him.
On-field stats for Trey Lance paint quite the picture of his two years with the Niners. As per ESPN Stats & Info, in 2021, Lance completed 57.5% of his passes and threw a total of 604 yards while scoring 5 touchdowns. With 2 interceptions to his name, Lance had a rating of 97.3. Then came 2022, and Lance’s performance declined further. The completion rate was 48.4%, 194 passing yards, 0 touchdowns, 1 interception, and a rating of 55.0 made the Niners realize that their $28 million investment was going down the drain.
Many would argue that Trey Lance was marred with a lack of playing time and his injury during the season didn’t help at all. Lance is a classic example of a “What could have been” case.
