Friday's conversation between the San Francisco 49ers and Trey Lance went a lot better than Wednesday's talk when head coach Kyle Shanahan informed the quarterback that he had lost the backup competition. The team informed Lance that he was being traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
After Friday's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch admitted that Lance asked the team to find an opportunity for him to compete for a backup job elsewhere.
"I had a chance then to talk to Trey, talk to Trey's agent, and I gave him my word that I'd look and see what's out there," Lynch told reporters in a post-game press conference. "So we started that process, and it culminated today with Dallas happening. It felt like a long time, but it was really a short period of time, a couple of days where we're talking to teams, and teams are reaching out to us, and the end result was what we ended up with."
Lance was excited upon learning that he was heading to Dallas, where he might get a better opportunity than he would have remaining with the Niners.
"Kyle and I, when we broke the news to him today, saw him light up a little bit," Lynch said. "And he loves it here. He was very appreciative of the opportunity. Typical Trey, he apologized to us, and there was nothing for him to apologize for.
"We're happy that he's got a spot, and the Cowboys came up big, and I think that's an indication that they're excited to have him. And we're excited for Trey's new opportunity, and we'll always be big fans."
The 49ers gave up a lot to draft Lance, trading away three first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins in 2021 to move up to the No. 3 overall spot. Lance started only four games with San Francisco, and in the end, the team received only a fourth-round pick in return for the quarterback.
"Believe me, we take full accountability," Lynch said. "We own that. But as I said on TV today, I think his story is very much unwritten. I've got a lot of belief in the kid and think with his talent, with his work ethic, he's going to forge a nice career in this thing."
As for the selection itself, Lynch and the 49ers knew it was a gamble, considering Lance's lack of experience at the collegiate level. However, the team saw so much potential that, at the time, it felt the move was worth the risk.
"He hadn't played a ton of football, so we knew we were taking somewhat of a chance, but I believe to this day, if we hadn't taken him, someone would have right behind us," Lynch shared. "I think the next pick. And so, I don't think we were the only one seeing it. He's a very talented young man."
Lynch added, "I still very much have belief that he's going to become a player. Now, it's just not going to be for us, and we take full accountability for that."
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