Golden Nuggets: Somehow… it’s gameday

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, August 25th, 2023

What’s next for Trey Lance? Maiocco examines 49ers QB’s options

“The events of Wednesday painted the picture that Lance’s time with the 49ers is over.

But history suggests with 49ers quarterbacks, it’s not over until the bags are packed, the locker is cleared and he is on a plane moving on to his next job opportunity.”

Maiocco: 49ers hung Trey Lance out to dry with way they handled No. 2 QB decision

“I don’t think the 49ers did themselves any favors,” Maiocco said. “Kyle Shanahan did not address anything until the evening on KNBR and John Lynch waits almost a full day before saying anything. It really left Trey Lance twisting in the wind a little bit, it kind of hung him out to dry because when he’s not on the practice field your mind immediately races to ‘did he leave the team, what’s the professionalism of that athlete?’ And the 49ers did nothing to kind of take that away from Trey Lance.

“To hear John Lynch talk about it this morning, he said Trey Lance handled it well, but he also said he was devastated and it was a gut punch to Trey. It’s the first time I can ever remember a player moving one spot down the depth chart and then he doesn’t go to the practice that day.”

John Lynch says Dianna Russini report regarding Trey Lance is ‘inaccurate’

“That’s not accurate,” Lynch told Markus & Mac. “If I responded to every report, I’d have no time in my day, but that is not accurate.”

Thompson: Trey Lance needs one thing, and the 49ers can no longer provide it (paywall)

“But that’s why the reps are even more important for Lance. He isn’t a singularly exceptional figure. He doesn’t do anything so utterly well that he can get away with what he doesn’t. He’s not an incredible scrambler or runner. He doesn’t dominate in the pocket. His arm is good but he isn’t dropping dimes downfield with regularity. He isn’t a gunslinging playmaker who just gets things done. He has the tools to be a really good, well-rounded quarterback. He needs time to sharpen those tools.

Yes, it’s possible it could somehow still work out for Lance with the 49ers. Purdy’s meteoric rise, plus the NFC title game this past January, serve as recent proof of how fast things change. Injuries happen in the NFL, with strange regularity to 49ers quarterbacks. If Purdy goes down again, if Darnold ends up looking like the Darnold who was run out of New York and Charlotte, Lance could get his shot again.

But this is his career we’re talking about. He shouldn’t leave that riding on the same odds as hitting on a Vegas airport slot. His career, his talent, deserves a real shot. He needs to be on a team that by, say, Week 11 can afford to play him just to see what he’s got.”

Trade, keep or cut? Examining the 49ers’ options with Trey Lance (paywall)

“The team can’t rework Lance’s contract in a similar fashion because rookie deals are preset by the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. But unless another team wants Lance, the 49ers are responsible for the entirety of his contract. And they’ve held onto quarterbacks in the past, recognizing their value as potential assets in the absence of better options. The approach worked out with Garoppolo, who ended up making valuable contributions in 2022. And that might have to be the 49ers’ play with Lance, at least until an attractive alternative emerges.”

Trotter: Trey Lance exemplifies NFL’s need for a developmental league (paywall)

“Any momentum when it comes to thinking about our own developmental league has kind of been tabled because of the XFL and USFL, plus expansion of practice squads a couple of years ago,” Vincent said. “Then you factor in college football. It’s almost like, ‘We can wait and see. We don’t have a bad model.’ You’ll get some people who’ll say, ‘Why do we need to make this type of investment when the popularity of the sport is at an all-time high?’ But that’s just thinking about the player. A developmental league benefits the entire game, it benefits everyone — assistant coaches, trainers, video people, officials. There is nothing like live action for everyone. That’s why we should look at it as, ‘this is a good and healthy investment into the entire football ecosystem.’ Most would think that that is a good investment.”

Maiocco’s 53-man 49ers roster projection before preseason finale

“The only true competition appears to be for the No. 3 back behind McCaffrey and Mitchell with Davis-Price coming on strong and providing a challenge against Mason.”

What would a trade for 49ers QB Trey Lance cost? Pelissero weighs in

“Now, what’s the price tag on a Trey Lance trade? It’s such a unique situation because it’s not like this has been a Zach Wilson-style flameout. We literally haven’t seen Tray Lance on the field but for … four starts in his career. … I mean, he’s barely played football. So you’re really figuring out, okay, if you had a first-round grade on him two years ago, what are you willing to put down now?

“Nobody’s going to give up a first-round pick, I wouldn’t anticipate, for Trey Lance, but is it a day-two style pick with an extra conditional pick or something like that? That would probably be a fair type of a deal. But again, the fact that a new team would also be taking on guaranteed money is a factor. You have to consider that into the price tag as well.”