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There has been a lot of offseason discussion surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance, with many "insiders" speculating that the team has lost confidence in the former No. 3 overall pick. The 49ers traded away a lot to move up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Lance. The young quarterback entered the 2022 season as San Francisco's starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
Lance has started only four NFL games in two NFL seasons, two during his rookie year and two last season. The quarterback was still dealing with a preseason finger injury during both games in 2021, and the opener last season was played in monsoon-like conditions.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated recently created some social-media chatter, speculating that Sam Darnold might beat out Lance for the QB2 job behind
Brock Purdy, burying Lance on the depth chart.
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Now, it doesn't mean Trey Lance can't come back and work his way forward, but I think that they feel like they've already given this guy a lot of chances," Breer said.
All of Breer's comments (you can read them all at the link above) paint a bleak picture of Lance's future with the 49ers. However, one respected 49ers insider paints a very different picture, saying the team has never been higher on the third-year player.
"I think, right now, we just don't have enough information, and I don't think the 49ers have enough information to tell you who is in line to be the backup," Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area said Thursday on KNBR's
Murph & Mac show. "I dispute the notion that the 49ers have soured on Trey Lance. I think, personally, in my opinion, is that they like him now more than they ever have since they've had him with the 49ers, but they just don't know how he would perform."
The 49ers know how Purdy would perform. The second-year quarterback was a surprise rookie sensation last season, becoming the starter after the injuries to Lance and veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins, going 7-0 as a starter before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his throwing arm during the NFC Championship Game.
The 49ers feel confident they could have won that game and returned to the Super Bowl had Purdy not been injured. The team saw enough from the then-rookie to declare him deserving of the QB1 job in 2023.
The Niners signed quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency. He has started 55 games during his career, and head coach Kyle Shanahan believes the 26-year-old might thrive on a roster as talented as the San Francisco's. Of course, nothing is a certainty in the NFL.
"Nobody knows how [Lance] would perform if given the opportunity," Maiocco continued. "And I think Darnold is kind of in the same position. They like him a lot. There's a lot of talent there. We've talked about how he can throw the football, but they just don't know about him either, about how he would perform if given the opportunity in this offense.
"So I kind of see it as the 49ers going into training camp with a pretty clear-cut number one quarterback, even though he might not play much—or any—in the preseason. But I think their number one is pretty clear-cut. The number two is, I would say, equal footing and kind of a TBA or TBD."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Maiocco below.
Not long ago, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated suggested that the San Francisco 49ers might part ways with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Since then, much has changed. The 2024 NFL Draft has come and gone, with both Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel still on the roster despite rampant trade rumors before and during the draft.
Last season, Aiyuk led the 49ers with 1,342 receiving yards, 322 more than the next leading target, tight end George Kittle. It was the second consecutive season that saw Aiyuk surpass the 1,000-receiving-yard mark. The two sides are now working on a contract extension to keep the talented young wideout in red and gold for the foreseeable future.
"I see the San Francisco 49ers making a strong effort to get Brandon Aiyuk signed, and I wouldn't be
Steve Young believes the San Francisco 49ers may have missed their best opportunity for the organization's sixth Super Bowl victory. It was an uphill battle for the 49ers in the playoffs, requiring two comeback victories against perceived weaker opponents before suffering an overtime defeat in Las Vegas against the Kansas City Chiefs.
For various reasons, the Hall of Fame quarterback feels that it was head coach Kyle Shanahan's best opportunity to silence his critics and finally emerge victorious in the NFL title game.
Now, it's too early to predict how the 2024 season will unfold. The Niners could be just as competitive as last season. They might find themselves at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Sunday, February 9, 2025, competing against
Several analysts have praised the Los Angeles Rams for their strong draft class, prompting speculation about whether last year's NFC West runner-up might have closed the gap on the division-champion San Francisco 49ers.
Judy Battista of NFL Media compiled a list of the most vulnerable reigning division champions heading into the 2024 season. While the 49ers are still considered the class of the NFC West, with little concern about being dethroned, Battista wonders how much the Rams have improved over the offseason.
We might get an answer quickly, as the 49ers and Rams are set to face off at SoFi Stadium in Week
The San Francisco 49ers escaped having to play a game on Christmas Day for the second consecutive season. According to Jordan Schultz, the two matchups on December 25 will showcase the Kansas City Chiefs against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens against the Houston Texans.
Both games will be exclusively broadcast on Netflix.
Full recap:#Chiefs vs #Steelers and
