The following Instagram post led to much speculation on social media because ... it's social media.
IG story from #49ers QB Trey Lance right after the Ran Carthon to the #Titans news broke🧐🧐🧐👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/lmcZ58dtTZ
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 18, 2023
What did it all mean? Many wondered if San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, maybe disappointed that rookie Brock Purdy may have supplanted him as the team's quarterback of the future, sought to play elsewhere. Maybe even for the Tennessee Titans, who hired former Niners executive Ran Carthon as their general manager.
You have to love social media.
Lance, speaking with quarterback coach Quincy Avery on Thursday during his live show on Amp, asked the 49ers quarterback about the Instagram post and its meaning.
"Yeah, I never talked about it at all," Lance told Avery. "Trying to stay out of the media for it, but I go on Instagram, and I'll look at my teammates' stuff, the team stuff, stuff like that, stuff about my family, stuff like that. I don't spend a whole lot of time [on social media], especially over this last year. It's been great for me to just be off of social media. I'm not on Instagram, daily even.
"So, for me, I just want to support guys. This whole season was probably more of a 49ers fan page than anything. Like, just showing guys support. [WR Ray-Ray McCloud]'s got a cool outfit, [LB Azeez Al-Shaair]'s got a cool video, [LB] Fred [Warner], whatever it was, and then obviously the Ran stuff."
Lance admits that he didn't even hear the chatter surrounding his Instagram post until head coach Kyle Shanahan told him about it. The two found it humorous.
"So, me and Ran got really close over the last—I wouldn't say super close—but we talked on the regular," Lance continued. "He would bring his boys in. I would hang out with his kids in the training room. So for me, it was huge. They were like a shining light. They come in and show me how many push-ups they could do and stuff like that.
"So just getting to know someone's family like that, I was super happy for him for the opportunity. So, yeah, the fingers crossed emoji is not like, 'Man, I'm crossing my fingers I'm going to be a Tennessee Titan.' I cross my fingers, man. I love it here. I don't ever want to be anywhere else."