SANTA CLARA — It was Aug. 12, 2022 and the future of 49ers football was on display.
On third-and-9 from the 49ers’ 24-yard line, second-year quarterback Trey Lance launched a perfectly timed pass toward rookie speedster Danny Gray against the Green Bay Packers. Gray caught it at the Green Bay 45 in stride and streaked into the end zone.
There it was. The quarterback Kyle Shanahan gambled on with the third pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, throwing to the SMU speedster the 49ers took in the third round in 2022. It was going to be high-octane Kyle, embracing a different kind of a quarterback while eschewing the shallow crosses and choice routes so popular to his system in favor of downfield passing and designed quarterback runs.
It never happened.
Lance was back at the scene of perhaps his most memorable throw as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers in a 30-23 loss to the 49ers, and is believed to be the leader in the clubhouse over Taylor Heinicke to back up franchise quarterback Justin Herbert.
Lance mingled with some former teammates before the game and even got a hug from Jerry Rice.
“I wish we could have got more going on offense and come out with a win, but it was fun,” Lance said. “I tried to approach it like any other game. It was fun to compete with these guys.”
The 2025 season, depending on how things shake out, could be a big year for Shanahan quarterbacks. Brock Purdy, the man who caused Shanahan to go back to the safety of his offensive roots with his uncanny ability to make anticipatory throws and run the offense like a point guard, was safely on the sidelines.
Purdy will wait until Sept. 7 when the 49ers open the season on the road against the Seattle Seahawks. There, he’ll be opposed by Sam Darnold, who beat out Lance to back up Purdy in 2023. Also in Los Angeles is Jimmy Garoppolo, who is No. 2 with the Rams while Matthew Stafford deals with back injury that’s sidelined throughout training camp.
Stay with me a moment here. With Purdy and Darnold locked in as starters, Lance a potential No. 2 and Garoppolo an established No. 2, four members of the Kyle quarterback carousel starting in 2021 could be starting quarterbacks in 2025.
Strange world.
That would mean very different things with each team. If Purdy and Darnold are in the lineup, there’s a better chance things are going well for the 49ers and Seahawks. If Lance and Garoppolo are holding court in Los Angeles, it means both teams are probably in trouble with Herbert and Stafford on the mend.
In three series, Lance finished 5-for-8 for 39 yards and didn’t run the ball at all, a minor surprise in that he came in leading the Chargers in preseason rushing with 81 yards on 14 carries.
Lance made a nice throw for 11 yards on a roll right to Jalen Reagor, and later hit Reagor for 17 yards. But he short-hopped KeAndre Lambert Smith on another throw and missed an open Oronde Gadsden on a play fake.
Lance finished the preseason 32-for-57 for 334 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. His completion percentage of 56.1 percent isn’t much different than the 54.4 he put up in five preseason games with the 49ers over two years.
Harbaugh wouldn’t commit to Lance as No. 2, but was encouraging in his choice of words.
“I don’t want to make any proclamations here tonight, Harbaugh said. “He’s put himself in a really good position.”
While Lance didn’t produce any points against the 49ers, he finished the preseason with one stat Harbaugh loves.
“He’s been poised and good,” Harbaugh said. “No turnovers the entire preseason.”
Daniel Jeremiah, an NFL Network analyst who does preseason analysis for the Chargers, said on KNBR-680 this week it’s “clear” Lance had won the job.
“He looks more confident, looks more comfortable,” Jeremiah said. “He’s kind of even cleaned up his delivery.”
Accuracy was always the rub with Lance, but keep this in mind — he is still only 25 years old.
“For a quarterback that’s the fat part of the bat,” Harbaugh said. “I like the skill set, an electric player.”
With the 49ers, Lance was simply too inexperienced after being a dual threat star for 19 games at North Dakota State. While waiting behind Garoppolo as a rookie, he broke a finger that affected his throwing and lost a start to Arizona in 2021 during which the 49ers scored just one touchdown and Lance ran 16 times for 89 yards. Anointed the starter in year 2, Lance lost his Week 1 start in a quagmire in Chicago. He had a broken ankle in Week 2 against Seattle and was done for the year.
The 49ers went back to Garoppolo, who broke his left foot against Miami in Week 13. Purdy, the last pick of the draft, took over and the rest is history. Shanahan was back in his element, wheeling and dealing with his kind of quarterback.
When the 49ers’ signed Darnold as a free agent, it was clear Lance’s days were numbered. He was traded to Dallas for a fourth-round draft pick the 49ers used on safety Malik Mustapha and never made much of an impact in the Metroplex.
Shanahan, asked by reporters during the week about Lance, wasn’t interested in delving into the topic too deeply.
“I don’t want to sit here and evaluate Trey again. I’m pulling for Trey,” Shanahan said. “I love Trey. One of the best people I’ve been around and I really hope it works out for him.”
This offseason, he brought in Mac Jones in a Darnold-like move, further distancing himself from having a potentially dynamic runner/passer in favor of someone who will execute the offense and scramble only when necessary.
Lance, meanwhile, said he remains thankful to Shanahan and GM John Lynch for drafting him but seems to have bonded with Harbaugh.
“He played the position for a long time. So I think just the way he communicates with us is different than what I’ve been around, in Dallas especially,” Lance said. “But every place is different. Every head coach is different. Every organization is run differently. This being my third one now. I feel like I’ve learned a lot about how different it is other places.
“I’m a firm believer everything works out how it’s supposed to. It’s just how the plan was and how it was written for me.”