The 49ers traded former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys Friday for a fourth-round pick.
For a player that cost the Niners three first-round picks in a trade to select in 2021, it’s a jarring conclusion.
The man who made the trade, 49ers general manager John Lynch, spoke to the team’s announcing crew, broadcasting the game on KPIX-TV, during the second quarter of the Niners’ preseason game against the Chargers at Levi’s Stadium.
Here’s what he had to say about trading Lance and the 23-year-old quarterback’s stunningly short tenure in the Bay:
“Really hard day. Such a wonderful young man. We took a shot, and it didn’t work out. We own that. We take accountability for it.
I think… his story is very much unwritten. I’m excited for Trey. Dallas stepped up and really wanted him. They came after him.
I think it’s going to be a great landing spot for him.
I can tell everybody it wasn’t for lack of effort on Trey’s part or on our part that it didn’t work. Circumstances took hold, and he struggled through injuries.
This team is ready to win, and we like our quarterback room. We like Brock Purdy a lot, we like Sam Darnold, and we like Brandon Allen.
We wish Trey all the best in Dallas. We’ll always care about that young man and admire his work ethic and the person that he is.”
Lance is expected to be a backup to Dak Prescott in Dallas. Meanwhile, Darnold will back up Purdy with Allen serving as the team’s third-string quarterback. The Niners open the 2023 season in Pittsburgh on Sept. 10 and will play the Cowboys on Oct. 8.
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