Trey Lance had quite a week, but the NFL doesn’t stop for anyone.
After being traded to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday, the former 49ers quarterback spoke to reporters on Tuesday about his situation and reflected on his final days in San Francisco – particularly the conversation he had with coach Kyle Shanahan when he learned he had lost the 49ers. Substitute competition for Sam Darnold.
“I really tried to keep going, but yeah, it definitely took some time,” Lance said. “I obviously didn’t want to hear that conversation, but that’s the reality.”
After the 49ers’ preseason finale on Friday – and just hours after the trade – Shanahan told reporters that it took the 23-year-old about an hour and a half when Lance was informed before Wednesday’s practice that he would be the No. 3 quarterback half to gather his thoughts. He then returned to his coach with a trade request and asked if he could miss practice.
Lance took the news seriously, said general manager John Lynch.
“Trey handled it incredibly well, with class,” Lynch said Thursday on KNBR’s “Murph & Mac.” “He was devastated, and rightly so. If you put your heart and soul into something and you don’t make it work, you’re going to be devastated, and that’s the type of competitor he is.”
Ultimately, San Francisco granted Lance’s request and sent him to Dallas in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick. It was the best offer the 49ers received, Shanahan said, as the Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions were also reportedly interested in receiving the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Ultimately, Lance only spent two seasons in the Bay. Injuries stunted his development and Brock Purdy’s success last season pushed the North Dakota State product out of the starting role in which he began the 2022 season.
But there are no hard feelings as Lance is looking forward to his new opportunity with the Cowboys.
“And nothing but respect and gratitude for everyone.” [with the 49ers] “Coaching staff, locker room, obviously the athletic training staff, everyone I’ve spent a lot of time with over the last few years,” Lance said. “Obviously it was hard, but for me it was kind of figuring out what’s going on next and what’s going to happen in the future.
The 49ers Faithful certainly won’t be rooting for the rival Cowboys any time soon. But with Lance now in the Lone Star State, it’s safe to say that fans of the team that selected him will be keeping an eye on how he fares in Dallas.
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