The San Francisco 49ers made a blockbuster trade to acquire quarterback Trey Lance back in April 2021.
They dealt three first-round picks in order to move up and select the former signal-caller out of North Dakota State at No. 3 overall in the NFL draft. San Francisco had reported interest in Mac Jones, who ended up being drafted by the New England Patriots, but they ultimately decided to go with Lance.
It’s a decision some wonder now if the 49ers regret.
Lance’s tenure was disappointing and short-lived in San Francisco. The quarterback recorded 797 total passing yards and five touchdowns in two seasons in the Bay Area. Lance appeared in eight total games, starting in four of them. Brock Purdy ended up taking his spot in San Francisco, which relegated him to a backup role.
Now, nearly a week has passed since Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round draft pick. That has left some to question what could have been, if the 49ers went with Jones instead of Lance.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted recently that Jones was very much in the forefront of the 49ers’ minds. However, they preferred Lance to run the offense that Kyle Shanahan created.
Here’s what Breer had to say:
The initial decision on who to take at No. 3 came down, indeed, to Lance and Mac Jones. (We can argue the Niners should have considered Justin Fields, but that’s another discussion for another day.) San Francisco made the call to take Lance based in large part on what it would mean for Shanahan’s offense. By 2021, a good percentage of the league was running a form of his offense, which meant defenses were practicing against it. Thus it became important for the Niners to develop it. Jones, of course, could run Shanahan’s offense. Lance could evolve it. And that, in the end, was the biggest differentiator in the decision.
It’s difficult to make a call on the career of either quarterback to this point. Jones is looking to bounce back after a difficult offensive season last year, but he did throw for 3.801 yards, 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and went to the Pro Bowl as a rookie.
Meanwhile, Lance served as a backup during his rookie year, before being benched for Purdy in 2022.
Both quarterbacks are still young with plenty of room to grow. It’s easy to speculate on what could have been, but it’s difficult to judge what will be moving forward.
