There are a lot of what-ifs in Trey Lance's NFL storyline. What if the young quarterback had never suffered a season-ending injury in his second season? What if the San Francisco 49ers never used the last overall pick in last year's draft on Brock Purdy? What if the team had never added Sam Darnold?
If any of those things hadn't happened, it's very likely Lance would still be on the 49ers' roster. Instead, the team's former No. 3 overall pick became expendable, especially after failing to win the No. 2 quarterback job during a battle with Darnold.
Lance's future is now in the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Two years after trading multiple first-round picks and more to the Miami Dolphins to move up in the draft to acquire a quarterback of the future, the Niners shipped Lance to Dallas for only a fourth-round pick, a terrible return for their investment.
What was it that the 49ers loved about Darnold, another former No. 3 overall pick who has failed to live up to expectations?
"Anyone who watches quarterbacks, I mean, the arm talent … is undeniable," general manager John Lynch said Thursday on KNBR.
"He's an extremely talented thrower of the football. I think what he did is really acclimate well to our offense, and we thought he would, because some of the things we do, moving the pocket with the keeper game, play-action pass, spreading the ball accurately to our weapons and allowing them to do the rest with run after [the] catch and such are things he thrives in.
"And so, sure enough, he did, and really grew throughout camp, and we felt like, at some point, he distanced himself from the rest of the guys for that number two job."
That left Lance's future in limbo. The quarterback sought a fresh start, and the 49ers, knowing they couldn't devote practice reps to developing the 23-year-old while he owned the QB3 job, got what they could for him, shipping Lance to a longtime rival.
The deal to add Lance may go down as one of the worst draft trades in NFL history, a stain on the resume of Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan. Still, the duo seems happy with the three remaining quarterbacks on the roster.
"So, you give credit to Sam," Lynch continued. "We're very excited about him. He's been a tremendous teammate, and we're very excited about going into the season with Brock, Sam, and Brandon Allen."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Lynch below.
