In the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers traded three first-round picks to move and take QB Trey Lance third overall. Since joining San Francisco’s roster, Lance has had horrible injury luck. Over two seasons, he’s played in eight games and has four starts. 

As a rookie, he played in six games and made two starts. Last season he started and played in two games before breaking his right ankle in Week 2. The 23-year-old just cannot stay healthy and the best ability is availability. That’s why the 49ers had to turn to Brock Purdy last year and they haven’t looked back. Recently, the team told Lance that he would be their third-string QB this season.

Trey Lance’s career has taken a downward spiral since being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers

The #49ers paid QB Trey Lance $27.85M for only 262 regular season snaps, and traded three 1st round picks to move up and draft him 3rd overall.

(h/t @spotrac) pic.twitter.com/3LdGuNT95S

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 24, 2023

On Wednesday, the 49ers announced that Brock Purdy would be their starting QB this season. Former first-round pick Sam Darnold joined the team this offseason and was named the backup QB to Purdy. That leaves Trey Lance in a tough spot this season. He was drafted to the San Francisco QB for the future, Sadly, it hasn’t turned out that way for Lance.

ESPN’s Nick Wagner noted that Trey Lance did miss practice yesterday and head coach Kyle Shanahan had an explanation. He said that Trey Lance took the news pretty hard when he found out he would be the third-string QB, Shanahan could tell Lance was upset and get let him take off from practice yesterday. The Niners had a relatively light practice.

From @GMFB: The #49ers will now explore trade options with QB Trey Lance. pic.twitter.com/145Yh1ZUbW

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 24, 2023

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rappaport, Trey Lance’s future with the 49ers is very much in question. The NFL insiders reported that San Francisco is exploring trade options for Lance. It’s clear that the Niners might have seen enough for Lance and are willing to cut their losses, If he is traded,  the team will save $3.76 million in 2023 and $5.31 million in 2024 against the salary cap. At this point in his career, are the 49ers ready to give up on a player they invested so much in