Trey Lance Could Be Back in the Spotlight - And This Time, It’s in L.A.
The San Francisco 49ers have had the kind of quarterback depth most teams dream about. When Brock Purdy went down earlier this season, the Niners didn’t blink.
Mac Jones stepped in, held the fort for eight games, and led the team to a solid 5-3 record in that stretch. That’s not just surviving - that’s thriving without your starter, and it speaks volumes about the structure and talent in that quarterback room.
Now, shift your eyes down the coast to Los Angeles, where the Chargers might be facing a similar test. Justin Herbert, their franchise quarterback and one of the league’s most talented arms, left Sunday’s win over the Raiders with a fractured bone in his non-throwing hand. Head coach Jim Harbaugh confirmed the injury would require surgery, and while there’s still a chance Herbert suits up for Week 14 against the Eagles, his status is very much up in the air.
And that brings us to Trey Lance.
Yes, that Trey Lance - the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The same guy the 49ers traded up for with hopes of building their future around.
The same guy who, after a rough and injury-marred stint in San Francisco, was traded to Dallas, only to find himself buried on the depth chart again. And now?
He’s Herbert’s backup in L.A., reunited with Harbaugh, a name that resonates with Niners fans for entirely different reasons.
If Herbert can’t go Monday night, it’ll be Lance’s turn to take the reins - and this time, the stakes are real. The Chargers are 8-4, very much in the thick of the AFC West race, chasing the Denver Broncos for the top spot.
Every game matters. Every snap counts.
And if Lance gets the nod, it’ll be his first start of the season and just the sixth of his NFL career.
That’s not a typo. Despite being in the league since 2021, Lance has only started five regular-season games - four with San Francisco and one last year in Dallas.
It’s been a stop-start career filled with more questions than answers. But if there’s a silver lining, it might be this: he’s still just 25, he’s still got all the physical tools that made him a top-three pick, and now he’s with a head coach who knows how to develop quarterbacks and isn’t afraid to lean into unconventional talent.
Harbaugh saw something in Lance this past preseason. The reports out of camp were positive - nothing earth-shattering, but enough to suggest that maybe, just maybe, the former North Dakota State star was starting to settle in. And now, with Herbert’s status uncertain, that early investment could pay off.
For 49ers fans, this will be one to keep an eye on during their Week 14 bye. Lance may not be wearing red and gold anymore, but his story is still intertwined with San Francisco’s recent history. The trade that brought him to the Bay, the emergence of Brock Purdy that pushed him out, and now, the potential for a second act in Los Angeles - it all adds another layer to one of the more fascinating quarterback journeys in recent memory.
If Lance does get the call on Monday night, it’ll be more than just a fill-in start. It’ll be a chance to rewrite the narrative.
To show he’s more than a failed experiment. To prove that with the right coach and the right opportunity, the talent that made him a top pick is still very much alive.
And if he delivers? The Chargers’ playoff push might just get a jolt from a quarterback who’s been waiting a long time for a real shot.