Trey Lance trade continues to look even better for the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers tried to swing for the fences in the 2021 NFL Draft, moving up from 12th overall to the third overall pick and selected North Dakota State's Trey Lance. The former NDSU quarterback started only four games for the 49ers in two years and was traded during the 2023 preseason.

Normally giving up two first-round picks for the right to draft a quarterback with the third overall pick would crush a franchise if it didn't work out. Fortunately, the Niners had taken Brock Purdy with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft and he ended up looking like the best option for them at quarterback, so they decided to stick with him heading into the 2023 campaign.

Lance was shipped off to the Dallas Cowboys where he's yet to play a meaningful snap with them. He was the third-string option for the 'Boys last year and that's where he'll continue to sit on the depth chart for 2024 after a rough preseason tanked any real chance he had of winning the backup job to Cooper Rush.

49ers made the right call when trading Trey Lance

Again, we can't understate how fortunate the Niners are that this move didn't completely tank them for a few years. Lance was injured during the 2022 season, which pushed Jimmy Garoppolo into the starting role until he was also injured. If Garoppolo stays healthy that season or anyone else but Purdy was the third-string option, Lance probably gets at least another year to prove he can win in San Francisco.

That's not how the football gods wanted things to go down though. Purdy took over and didn't lose a game until he was banged up in the NFC Championship Game and the Eagles took advantage. In Purdy's first full year as the starting signal-caller for the Niners, he helped lead them to a Super Bowl appearance where they came oh so close to winning it all.

Meanwhile, the guy they gave up on has failed to even win a backup job with his current team. The trade to move up and nab Lance sure looks bad but trading him to Dallas is looking to be a pretty dang good move by the 49ers. They knew he wasn't going to be the answer for them so they cut bait and moved on, still receiving something in exchange for him.

It all worked out for the 49ers in the end.