Trading Trey Lance Could Be The Demise of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco

The San Francisco 49ers traded Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys, which only adds fuel to the fire that is potentially the worst trade in franchise history. What could this mean for the regime of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch?

Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are in danger of being responsible for the worst decision in the history of the San Francisco 49ers.

49ers Trade QB Trey Lance to the Cowboys

The 49ers have traded former No.3 pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round draft pick next year. San Francisco essentially hands their biggest rival a 23-year-old quarterback who is fuming with potential while both teams contend for a Super Bowl. 

The deal is convenient for Lance, who will get to play for a team that wants him, unlike San Francisco, and may have a chance to become their starter in the near future. Dak Prescott has struggled in the playoffs in recent years and has an out in his contract in 2024 should the Cowboys decide they want to move on. Lance was also training with quarterback coach Jeff Christensen this off-season in Texas, where he made vast improvements to his throwing mechanics.

For the 49ers, John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan made their team worse this season, all for a fourth-round pick next year. Lance, competing for the backup quarterback job a year after being the unquestioned starter, ended up being named the third-string QB days after leading the team to a late victory in their second preseason matchup.

It is important to remember that ever since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach, only once has his starting quarterback played every game of the season. That was Jimmy Garoppolo in 2019. Current starting QB Brock Purdy took over the job in relief after the top two QBs on the depth chart suffered season-ending injuries. Purdy did well but got injured twice in eight games and is coming off UCL surgery. Worsening the QB depth chart, knowing that history for a fourth-round selection next year seems questionable.

Trey Lance never proved to be a great player, nor did he have the playing time to do so. However, he never proved himself to be a bad player either. Yet the 49ers handed whatever potential he has to Dallas after spending three first-round picks to select him because they are confident that Sam Darnold is a better backup quarterback. Even though Sam Darnold has committed over 60 turnovers in 55 starts throughout his career, which shows he is unreliable.

This Decision Could Decide the Fate of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch

Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch should be held accountable for causing locker-room drama for the last three years with this entire debacle. It all started when they traded up from the 12th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, where the Cowboys selected future first-team All-Pro Micah Parsons to select Trey Lance third-overall just to trade him to Dallas three years later for a day three pick. Lynch and Shanahan weakened their depth chart to give their biggest rival more depth and a potential future franchise quarterback they may have to compete with for years to come.

Moving forward, the 49ers are banking on their seventh-round, Mr. Irrelevant quarterback, Brock Purdy, to come back stronger from his UCL injury and lead them to the Super Bowl. Purdy has had success, but more is needed. With this decision, he needs to become their franchise QB. If he is not, the Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch regime may have run its course. Others have been fired for less.

Jim Harbaugh even advanced to three straight conference championship games and a Super Bowl without a losing season during his time with the 49ers. He didn't even make it to Year 5. With Shanahan entering Year 7 as the mastermind behind this offense that has gone silent in the most critical moments of the season's most important games, the seat isn't just hot. It should be burning.

If Purdy isn't the real deal as Kyle Shanahan himself said he is, what then? Does he move on from Purdy to pursue Kirk Cousins? Do they draft another quarterback they hope to develop into a starter by letting him sit and hold the clipboard? With the incredible rosters this regime has assembled, it has to be maddening to the fans that they are nearly a decade in with Shanahan without knowing if they have a franchise quarterback.

Regardless of the future, Shanahan and Lynch look to be responsible for one of the worst mistakes in NFL Draft history. If Purdy flames out and Lance becomes successful, it may be the worst decision in franchise history. As an organization, the 49ers looked divided over the last few years and unprofessional due to mismanagement of this situation. These kinds of situations are what result in losing the trust of the fans who have been waiting to see another Super Bowl victory since the 1994-1995 season when Steve Young ripped the monkey off his back.

Not to mention that during this entire situation, reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa still has yet to sign an extension just over two weeks before the season opener in Pittsburgh. The holdout has made John Lynch "uncomfortable" even though it is his job to resolve that issue by paying his team's biggest game changer. Instead, Lynch and Shanahan seem much more concerned with figuring out how to handle the backup quarterback situation.

If Shanahan and Lynch can bring San Francisco a Super Bowl, they will look like geniuses, and all their mistakes will be forgiven. If that doesn't come to fruition in the coming years, it will be time for Jed York to act accordingly.

A decision of this magnitude is the kind that can make or break their legacy as a regime. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch better be right. If they are not, it is a fireable offense—end of story.