In 2021, the San Francisco 49ers traded two first-round picks and a third-rounder in order to move up to the no. 3 spot and select Trey Lance out of North Dakota State. We were told he was a ‘project’ requiring time to develop.
He played 18 games at a school absent of real NFL-level talent and a school that played against teams absent of real NFL-level talent.
Two years and one brutal leg injury later, Lance has barely been on the field and in his absence, the very last pick of the 2022 NFL Draft took over the QB1 duties and will most likely walk away with the Rookie of the Year trophy.
Trey was recently asked about his feelings toward Purdy and here’s what he had to say about his competition:
“Brock, he plays the game the right way. That’s why he had so much success. I was just super excited for him. He worked his butt off, all OTAs, since the first day he got here, since the day he got drafted. So he deserved everything he got this year and more. I truly believe that.
“Just tried to help him as much as I could. Learned a lot from him, as well. Just from a human being standpoint, he’s a great person, someone that I see a lot of myself in, so it’s great for me to be able to have a quarterback room like we did throughout the year.”
On its surface, this is just a great teammate supporting his guy. It’s your standard, milquetoast quarterback meaningless. blah blah, positive nonsense so I can understand why these quotes aren’t making the rounds on ESPN and such.
What is Trey Lance really saying here?
But this is hate. He just big bro-ed Brock. Trey Lance is essentially saying “It’s cute that my little backup quarterback worked hard and had the chance to play well. He learned so much from ME’.
No one is this much of a team player when they’re still on their rookie contract and haven’t had the chance to prove they’re an NFL starter. Trey Lance has no assurances that he’s going to be the starter next season and he could be unemployed by this time next year.
Trey Lance wasn’t being kind to Brock Purdy—he was violating him.
You know Lance is texting Purdy right now trying to get the details of his elbow injury and he’s pretending as if he’s concerned but he’s just trying to figure out if Purdy will be healthy when training camp starts or if the two will have to fight for the job.
This is a genius move by Trey Lance and I think I’m suddenly a die-hard fan. I have no idea if he’s good enough to play in this league but I do know that HE thinks he’s better than Brock Purdy.
Trey Lance MVP season incoming.
Who do you think will win this Trey Lance Brock Purdy QB battle in San Fran? Leave a comment below. Respond on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. Or shoot me an email at Deadseriousmailbag@gmail.com. Let’s chat, bay-beeeee.