If the decision were up to Lance, Young believes the quarterback's best choice is to stay put.
"There's maybe a handful of 10 good places for quarterbacks in the league that I would want to go to," Young explained to CBS Sports Radio host Zach Gelb. "If you're not going to go to ... one of those spots that can take care of the quarterback, and teach him, and prepare him to be great, I might hang around even though I'm going to get kind of scout team stuff, because this is one of them."
This isn't the first time Young has stated that, if he were playing in the NFL today, the 49ers, with head coach Kyle Shanahan as the playcaller, would be one of the organizations with which he would want to be. He sees it as an excellent opportunity for players like Lance, Darnold, and Brock Purdy to learn.
Even with Lance falling down the depth chart, Young believes there remains a benefit to staying with Shanahan and company.
"This is one of the 10, where if you're going to play quarterback, this is where you want to be," Young continued, "and you don't know how it's going to go down. Maybe a year of it, maybe you can put up with it, I don't know. But I know, if they were going to send him some random team that doesn't take care of the quarterback, I don't know that I would want that for Trey."
It's possible Lance could still get on the field this season. The 49ers went through four quarterbacks last season and still reached the NFC Championship Game for the third time in four seasons.
"You never know. But Trey needs to get on the field," Young said. "He's ready to get on the field and do more of what he did in the last preseason game ... There's going to be mistakes. There's going to be some haywire stuff. But in the big picture, it seems like he gets warmed up and gets going, and then he can compete with the big boys, with the big comebacks, with the big late fourth-quarter touchdown passes.
"So, to me, I want to see more of Trey. I didn't leave preseason saying, 'I don't know that I want to see more.' I want to see more of Trey, and I want him to find a place where he can go find the full measure of himself. I don't know that third string is the place for him, but I do know that if he goes to a place that doesn't take care of the quarterback, it's not going to get him to where he wants to be."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Barnwell proposes Mac Jones trade the 49ers might not be able to refuse
The San Francisco 49ers have consistently maintained that Mac Jones remains part of their plans for the 2026 NFL season. The veteran quarterback signed a two-year deal last offseason, keeping him under contract through 2026 and out of free agency until 2027. That means any... -
49ers free agency: 5 backup QB options if Mac Jones is traded
Brock Purdy was the catalyst behind the San Francisco 49ers' late-season run, before the loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the finale, accounting for 19 touchdowns (three rushing) in that six-game win streak. A turf toe suffered in the opener was a nagging injury that ultimately... -
Will the 49ers draft a WR in Round 1? Two mocks address the same need
The San Francisco 49ers could take several paths with their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Help in the trenches—both on the offensive and defensive lines—remains a priority. The secondary could also use reinforcements. There's even a scenario in which the 49ers add... -
Where 49ers QB Brock Purdy landed in PFF's top 101 players of 2025
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy appeared in just nine games during the 2025 NFL season, missing eight contests due to a turf toe injury suffered in Week 1. Still, the former final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft did more than enough to earn recognition from Pro Football...