Trey Lance can Try, but the 49ers Already Have Their Starting Quarterback
The writing has been on the wall for months with the direction that the 49ers were going in with their starting quarterback.
On Monday at the NFL's annual meetings, general manager John Lynch read that writing on the wall when my editor Grant Cohn asked him if Purdy will be the starting quarterback.
"I think Brock has earned the right with the way he played that he's probably the leader in the clubhouse," Lynch said. "I'll let Kyle (Shanahan) make those kinds of decisions, but I know when we talked, Brock probably has earned that right to be the guy. If we were to line up, he probably would take that first snap. Really excited about where Trey (Lance) is at with his progress from his injury. He has been working really hard. And I love the opportunity to bring in Sam Darnold and his skillset -- we think it's a really good fit. We like that room a lot.
"We've always said we don't care where you were drafted or if you were drafted. That's always been our stance. It's what we believe in. We're still very excited about Trey, but I think the way Brock played, he has earned that right to be the guy, but it's certainly a competition -- we'll always have that."
Now that Lynch has come out and spoken the writing that has been on the wall, it is clear about the outlook of the quarterback situation. Trey Lance can try, but the 49ers already have their starting quarterback. This has always been my way of thinking since the 49ers season ended in the NFC Championship game. Lynch's comments only cements my mindset on it.
The deck is stacked against Lance. He practically is expected to lose barring an incredible push to sway the mind of Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the team. That is something I am not expecting with Lance. Look, he simply hasn't been brought up well at all by the 49ers. He has been failed more by the 49ers than he has failed them. Regardless, the reality is that he is no longer the lead dog anymore. Any view of him as the future of the 49ers is dead.
All the 49ers are doing now is letting Lance and Sam Darnold compete for the starting job just to keep the seat warm until Purdy is ready to come back. It's quite a shame and unfair, but the 49ers are going to do what they feel gives them the best chance to win and they just saw it with Purdy on an impressive playoff run. This is Purdy's team from now on. There is nothing Lance can do in the offseason to change that. In fact, he can damage his stock more than help it. What Lance needs to do to sway the minds of his coaches and teammates is put on an efficient showing in actual games that leads to wins.
Until that happens, this is Purdy's team next season. Everything Lance can try in the offseason, and even in the regular season, will be moot.
