San Francisco 49ers reporter offers interesting note on QB Trey Lance

The San Francisco 49ers seemingly haven't given up on quarterback Trey Lance quite yet. 

"I dispute the notion that the 49ers have soured on Trey Lance," team insider Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area said during a Thursday appearance on San Francisco radio station KNBR, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "I think, personally, in my opinion, is that they like him now more than they ever have since they've had him with the 49ers, but they just don't know how he would perform."

Maiocco previously said that free-agency signing Sam Darnold "might be...the most talented thrower of the football that the 49ers have ever had," and Darnold seemingly has leapfrogged Lance on the depth chart as presumed starter Brock Purdy continues to recover from March elbow surgery. Last week, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that "there really was never a lot of interest in" Lance from other teams this offseason and that the 2021 first-round draft pick is "not going anywhere right now" because there is "no trade market" for his services. 

For a piece published Thursday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic wrote that Lance still has a legitimate opportunity to win the No. 2 job behind Purdy during training camp and the preseason. Lance has attempted just 102 total regular-season passes in the NFL and is coming off a campaign-ending ankle injury he suffered this past September. 

"Nobody knows how [Lance] would perform if given the opportunity," Maiocco added. "And I think Darnold is kind of in the same position. They like him a lot. There's a lot of talent there. We've talked about how he can throw the football, but they just don't know about him either, about how he would perform if given the opportunity in this offense." 

By all accounts, a healthy Purdy "is the leader in the clubhouse" to reclaim the team's QB1 gig. The 23-year-old reportedly is on track to start the regular-season opener at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10. It does, however, seem like there's an opening for Lance to earn meaningful snaps beyond preseason play should Purdy experience a setback at any point between the final Thursday of June and Week 1.