So where was 49ers quarterback Trey Lance on Wednesday? Although coach Kyle Shanahan didn’t meet with reporters for a shotgun-style grilling on the issue, he recorded an interview with team flagship radio station KNBR.
Via NFL.com, Shanahan explained that he decided to give Lance the day off after “watching how Trey was when we talked.” Shanahan determined it would be “better to, ‘Hey, take the day off, clear your head some, we’ll talk later in the afternoon and get you back in there tomorrow.’”
Shanahan said, per KNBR.com, that he wants Lance to stay with the team.
“I’m really hoping so,” Shanahan said. “I mean, this isn’t a thing where we’re giving up on Trey. This is more of how Brock [Purdy] played in his seven games and that was decided before the season started, and how Sam [Darnold has] looked. They’ve both looked good but we have to make a decision here. You only get so many reps at it. We feel starting about 10 days ago Sam really separated himself, and we got to keep it real in that way.”
Shanahan doesn’t close the door on trading Lance, if that’s what he wants.
“We’ll always try to do right for Trey,” Shanahan said. “If there’s a better situation that his heart’s in, we’re going to make sure not to hurt him in that way. So, that’s something I talked to him about this morning and stuff that I’ll talk to him about tonight and continue to talk to him about.”
If Lance decides to ask for a fresh start, it will be interesting to see whether the 49ers work to make it happen, or whether they put a thumb on the scale with unrealistic expectations as to the return for Lance.
