The 49ers never really gave Trey Lance a chance. Now Jim Harbaugh will. And he just might kickstart Lance's career.
The 49ers spent three first-round picks and a third on Lance. But he started only four games in two seasons, then he broke his ankle and Brock Purdy eventually took the job. So they traded him to the Cowboys, who gave him just one start in two seasons. Then he became a free agent.
For the first time in Lance's career, he could pick his team. And he took his time. He was one of the last quarterbacks to sign this offseason. While he weighed his options, speculation arose that he might end up in the Canadian Football League.
Instead, Lance signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers whose head coach, Jim Harbaugh, is another former Niner who was run out of town perhaps too soon. I'm sure it would make Harbaugh extremely pleased to develop Lance into a quality quarterback after the 49ers gave up.
Keep in mind, Harbaugh has kickstarted quarterbacks' careers before. In 2011, he made Alex Smith a winning quarterback. Before that season, he was seen as a bust, one of the worst picks in franchise history. Harbaugh completely rebuilt his confidence and set him up to have a long, fruitful career.
Then, Harbaugh developed Colin Kaepernick into one of the league's most dangerous offensive weapons. Kaepernick never was an elite quarterback, but combined with Harbaugh he was extremely difficult to defend. Then the 49ers and Harbaugh "mutually agreed to part ways."
It will be interesting to see if Harbaugh can do for Lance what he did for Smith and Kaepernick. Don't forget that Harbaugh's offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, also worked with Lamar Jackson and is among the league's best coaches when it comes to working with dual-threat quarterbacks such as Lance.
