Learning that the San Francisco 49ers had traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys surprised most. However, Brandon Aiyuk understands how the NFL works. Nothing is a certainty.
"Not really surprised," Aiyuk told reporters on Monday. "I mean, it's still surprising just because that's a close friend of mine. He came in here after me. I've been with him this whole entire time, and then to see him go in, what, two seasons? So, I would say surprising in that standpoint.
"But just in terms of how stuff goes, I understand how it goes. I understand the competitor that he is. So he wants to compete and go out there and get a chance to show who he is to himself and to the world. So not surprising, that aspect."
Aiyuk said he saw Lance before Friday's preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, and again over the weekend. The quarterback's spirits were good.
"I think some weight was lifted off him, it looked like, to me," Aiyuk said. "But I think he's in a good spot."
Last week, Lance learned he lost the QB2 competition to Sam Darnold. Disappointed, the quarterback hoped for an opportunity to compete for a backup job somewhere. On Friday, the 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick.
It will be strange seeing Lance suited up as a Cowboy.
"That's the craziness of this league," Aiyuk said. "We know how it is. But yeah, for sure, seeing him in a Cowboy uniform is different. Seeing the [photo] edits and stuff on social media is a little bit weird, but for sure happy for him."
In 2021, the 49ers traded three first-round draft picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins to move up to the No. 3 overall pick, where they selected Lance. Since then, the quarterback appeared in only eight games with four starts, passing for 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions while adding 235 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.