Kyle Shanahan Makes His Thoughts Clear On Trey Lance

The San Francisco 49ers made a tough call, but it was a call that had to be made.

Sam Darnold beat Trey Lance for the backup quarterback spot.

They announced the former top-10 pick would be QB2 behind Brock Purdy, leaving Lance in a complicated spot — once again.

However, as ugly as this may seem for his future with the organization, HC Kyle Shanahan told Nick Wagoner that it’s not like the team is giving up on him.

#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told @KNBR he’s “really hoping” Trey Lance will stay a Niner. “This isn’t a thing where we’re giving up on Trey… You only get so many reps at it. We feel starting about 10 days ago Sam really separated himself, and we got to keep it real in that way.”

— Nick Wagoner (@nwagoner) August 23, 2023

Per Shanahan, it was just fair to give Darnold the nod after the way he separated himself from Lance.

But in reality, there’s only so much they can do with Lance now.

Truth be told, they’ve given him three offseasons to prove himself, and he’s lost his job to three different players now.

One can talk about the injuries and whatnot, but there have always been reports about him not being fully up to speed, struggling with arm strength, and failing to get a grasp of the playbook, etc.

Lance was a project when they got him, and it was evident that they would have to be quite patient with him and give him time to develop.

But it’s also evident that he hasn’t lived up to the expectations, and it will be hard to shake off that narrative unless he takes his talents somewhere else.

His trade value, however, won’t be nearly as high as what it took to get him in the first place.

NEXT: 
Kyle Shanahan Announces Trey Lance Plan For Preseason Finale