Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Jed York on 49ers’ decision to draft Trey Lance: “I wouldn’t change anything”
Mar 28, 2023 at 4:25 PM
•
San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York spoke with reporters on Tuesday at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona. He was asked about one of his quarterbacks,
Trey Lance. In 2021, the team made a blockbuster move, trading significant draft capital to move up to the No. 3 overall pick, where they selected Lance.
Two years later, Lance has started only four games and has been surpassed on the depth chart by last year's "Mr. Irrelevant," the No. 262 overall pick,
Brock Purdy.
Despite the cost of acquiring Lance, York doesn't regret the decision to trade up and still believes in Lance's potential.
"
I wouldn't change anything that we've made about the decision with Trey," York told reporters. "I think Trey has a chance to be great, but it's a bonus when you get somebody at the end of the seventh round that ends up coming in and being very impactful for your team.
"I've said it multiple times with quarterbacks, whether it was Alex [Smith] and [Colin Kaepernick], watching Jimmy [Garoppolo], and Jimmy and Trey, and now Brock and Trey and
Sam [Darnold], you can't have enough good quarterbacks.
"I wish that we can go back in time and Steve Bono could be my third-string quarterback behind two future Hall of Famers. That's fantastic. That gives you a chance to win and be very, very successful in this league.
"Again, you can't worry about, 'Well, Trey hasn't played as many games as we would have liked.' It's not his fault. He got injured."
None of the 49ers' three quarterbacks will cost the team very much this season. Two of them, Lance and Purdy, remain on their rookie deals. York understands that keeping expenses down in the quarterback room has allowed San Francisco to pursue talent like cornerback
Charvarius Ward last year or defensive tackle
Javon Hargrave this year.
"There's a delta in what you're spending on your quarterback versus what somebody else is spending on their quarterback," York continued. "And I hope that one of these three guys gets a massive, massive extension with the San Francisco 49ers at some point. But until that, we're going to make sure that we build this thing around a young quarterback with a very team-friendly contract.
"And again, the ultimate goal is to win a championship. It's not to say that this draft pick or this decision was the perfect decision. It's to win a Super Bowl."
Related News
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers Mailbag: What happens if Sam Darnold beats out Trey Lance? Which rookie will play the most in 2023? Which question stumped us?
What happens if Sam Darnold beats out Trey Lance? We're answering this question and others in this week's edition of the 49ers Webzone Mailbag.
It's week two of OTAs, and the 49ers will have a session open to the media on Wednesday. It may even be happening as you're reading this. And Brock Purdy is believed to start throwing a ball this week (though probably not a regular football).
But for now, ignore those reports, and let's jump into our latest mailbag and answer your questions.
Who's starting on Opening Day at FS? - Chris W.
The 49ers re-signed veteran free safety Tashaun Gipson to a one-year deal and drafted Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown back in April. Brown is the future starting free safety. That future is most likely to
What to make of Jeff Darlington's report on 49ers QB Trey Lance's first-team reps
ESPN's Jeff Darlington recently appeared on the network's NFL Live show and discussed the San Francisco 49ers' quarterback situation, highlighting Trey Lance's healthy state and current workload during organized team activities (OTAs).
"Trey Lance is the guy during OTAs who's been taking all the 1st-team reps; he's healthy at this point," Darlington said, per Dov Kleiman of BroBible. "Sam Darnold really getting backup duty as he kinda gets his playbook under his belt. But for now, Trey Lance getting his opportunity with those first-team reps."
What is the takeaway from these comments? Nothing, really. We
Podcast: 49ers QBs Trey Lance, Sam Darnold splitting first-team reps
By Rohan Chakravarthi
May 31
Rohan Chakravarthi and Suneil break down the latest from Week 2 of OTAs for the San Francisco 49ers, including the quarterback rep split, offensive line talk, and John Lynch.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
?feature=share
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
Isaiah Oliver analyzes Trey Lance, Sam Darnold, his fit in the 49ers defense
New San Francisco 49ers cornerback Isaiah Oliver is coming from the Atlanta Falcons. While in the NFC South, he's faced quarterback Sam Darnold, now his teammate.
The 49ers are in their second week of organized team activities (OTAs), and Oliver has had a chance this offseason to get a good look at Darnold and third-year quarterback Trey Lance during practices. So what has he taken away from going against the two former No. 3 overall draft picks?
"I mean, they're both really good quarterbacks," Oliver told reporters on Wednesday. "Obviously, I've played against Sam a few times. I haven't played against Trey before, so just kind of seeing him [for the first time]. But yeah, they're both just real athletic guys. I feel like a lot of people don't respect that
