SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 30: Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers stands on the sidelines during their preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi’s Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Prior to the 2021 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers made the bold decision to trade up with the Miami Dolphins for the third overall pick, which general manager John Lynch wound up using on Trey Lance.
But apparently, Lance wasn’t the quarterback that head coach Mike Shanahan wanted. In a recent appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, former NFL executive Michael Lombardi reported that Shanahan actually wanted Mac Jones during the 2021 offseason.
Lombardi said that “the resistance factor” within the organization led to the 49ers taking Lance instead. The end result was Lance being the No. 3 pick while Jones fell to the Patriots in the middle of the round.
But many NFL fans and even other insiders are expressing doubts about the legitimacy of this report. Some have pointed out that Lombardi isn’t the most reliable source while others have called it an outright falsehood.
This might be a case of hindsight being 20/20. If Trey Lance had the goods and showed it as a rookie the way that Mac Jones did, then Shanahan, Lynch and everyone else on the team would be endlessly singing his praises.
But that wasn’t the case: Lance had a lackluster season with limited playing time and has now been thrust into the starting job even though questions remain as to whether he’s ready for the increased role.
The 49ers are apparently so uncertain that they brought back quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo despite spending the entire summer declaring that he would be traded.
It’s a strange situation in San Francisco, that’s for sure.
.