From Trey to trade, it just wasn't in the cards for the 49ers quarterback.
The 49ers-Trey Lance partnership was confusing, fruitless and, generally, a disaster. Just a few years after San Francisco traded multiple first-round picks to move up in the draft to select Lance, they bit the bullet and sent him to the Cowboys at cost prior to the start of the 2023 season.
At the time of the draft, it was known that Lance was a project, and that made some semblance of sense for the 49ers, who were nearing the end of the Jimmy Garoppolo era. That said, Garoppolo lasted in San Francisco two more years instead of the one year as expected.
As it goes, coaches plan, and the football gods laugh. The 49ers' succession plan didn't come to pass, and instead, Lance was passed on to Dallas prior to the start of the 2023 season.
MORE: Trey Lance trade details — what Dallas gave up for San Fran passer
Here's why Kyle Shanahan and Co. pulled the plug on the ill-fated Trey Lance era in San Francisco:
Why did the 49ers trade Trey Lance?
As is the cast with most high-profile NFL trades, there wasn't a single, solitary reason why Lance was traded.
Instead, it was a conglomeration of things that led to his departure.
Square peg, round hole
This may be an indictment of Kyle Shanahan as much as -- or maybe more than -- Lance's failures.
Shanahan has a type, and that type is your traditional pocket passer who can read the field and get the ball out of his hands quickly. Matt Ryan won an MVP award in Atlanta because of his handle of the Shanahan offense, Jimmy Garoppolo was a perennial winner in San Francisco because of it, and now Brock Purdy is ascending because of it.
Lance's traits didn't exactly fit that mold for your prototypical Shanahan QB. Coming out of North Dakota State, Lance was known more for being a dual-threat quarterback who needed lots of seasoning and work from the pocket due to his limited college experience.
To that end, GM John Lynch admitted the team took a "shot, and it didn't work out."
That pretty much begs the question: Why would the front office spring for a trade up to No. 3 overall to take him? Well…
Not the first choice
The pre-draft process has a way of distorting the truth a bit, but given how Lance's 49ers tenure played out, a number of those rumors seemed to be a little bit more legitimate.
Prior to the start of the draft, the 49ers were linked to two quarterbacks: Mac Jones and Zach Wilson. According to former 49ers and BYU quarterback Steve Young, Wilson was the 49ers' first choice at quarterback, but the Jets were locked into taking him at No. 2 overall.
Rumors also swirled that the 49ers were in on Mac Jones, who ultimately fell all the way to No. 15, with the Patriots taking him. The 49ers valued Jones' ability to process and get the ball out quickly, but a supposed schism within the organization preferred Lance's physical traits over that of Jones.
While Shanahan would sing Lance's praises post-draft, maybe a lot of that is like talking yourself into a relationship, rather than being realistic with what you have.
An incongruent timeline
The biggest knock on Lance was his inability to stay healthy. Because of that, the 49ers were operating with an unknown entering a critical Year 3, when their Super Bowl window is still wide open.
The 49ers would have to make a decision on Lance's fifth-year option following the 2023 season, but because he was redshirted his rookie season and injured in Year 2, he had very limited tape, and clearly, even less faith from those in the building.
The 49ers and Shanahan likely weren't going to waste another window-season trying to figure out what they had (or didn't have) in Lance. Ripping off the Band Aid and moving on was the smartest organizational move, rather than forcing itself into a quarterback conundrum through the 2023 season.
Of course, the decision was also expedited by the arrival of one Brock Purdy.
Brock party
Starting quarterback Brock Purdy is exactly what Shanahan wants in a passer. Purdy is in the same mold as a Jimmy Garoppolo -- good feel in the pocket, capable arm, plays within the offense. With an all-world defense and an offense that relies heavily on its playmakers making plays and its passer making smart decisions, it's easy to see why Shanahan would opt from project passer to safer bet.
Also, the contract plays into it. As "Mr. Irrelevant," Purdy has a four-year contract worth a total of $3,737,008, accounting for a cap hit of less than $1 million per season. That offers really big savings at the QB spot. For comparison, Lance was scheduled to make $34,105,275 over the life of his contract, plus the potential of a fifth-year option.
You add all of that together and you get the Trey Lance trade. An era that lasted just four starts, five touchdowns and ruined "Trey Area" puns for everyone.