Trey Lance is the most important 49er in the 2022 season. The second-year signal caller’s importance this year extends beyond the Bay Area. NBC Sports’ Peter King made him No. 17 on his list of the 22 most influential people in the 2022 NFL season.
The combination of Lance’s skill set in Kyle Shanahan’s offense offers fascinating potential that could have a ripple effect for years in the NFL. Shanahan has put together very good offenses as an offensive coordinator and as a head coach, but he’s never had a quarterback as physically gifted as Lance. If the marriage works, San Francisco could be a dangerous Super Bowl contender for a long time.
That potential with an already good 49ers defense are why Lance lands on King’s list in his first year as a starting quarterback, but the long-time NFL writer cautioned against setting expectations too high out of the gate:
