San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance has insisted he doesn’t want to land elsewhere this offseason.
As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio pointed out on Jan. 18, Lance generated some headlines when he posted on his Instagram story a photo about former 49ers director of player personnel Ran Carthon becoming general manager of the Tennessee Titans. Included in Lance’s message were three fingers-crossed emojis, and that caused some to believe the 22-year-old was hoping to find a new football home this winter or spring.
“So, me and Ran got really close over the last—I wouldn’t say super close—but we talked on the regular,” Lance told quarterbacks coach Quincy Avery during the latest edition of “The Q,” per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. “He would bring his boys in. I would hang out with his kids in the training room. So for me, it was huge. They were like a shining light. They come in and show me how many pushes they could do and stuff like that. So just getting to know someone’s family like that, I was super happy for him for the opportunity.
“So, yeah, the fingers crossed emoji is not like, ‘Man, I’m crossing my fingers I’m going to be a Tennessee Titan.’ I cross my fingers, man. I love it here. I don’t ever want to be anywhere else.”
Carthon spent the previous six seasons with the 49ers. San Francisco selected Lance with the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Lance’s social media activity wasn’t all that linked him with the Titans last month. In late January, The Athletic’s Mike Sando reported that an executive “from another team” predicted at that time that the 49ers would trade Lance to Tennessee and then acquire Tom Brady in free agency. Brady has since retired and offered zero hints he’s returning for another season this time around.
Veteran Jimmy Garoppolo will likely hit free agency when the new league year opens next month, and 2022 rookie Brock Purdy probably isn’t practicing before the final week of August at the earliest due to his upcoming surgery to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow he suffered in the NFC Championship Game. Thus, Lance has every reason to feel hopeful about his San Francisco future ahead of springtime workouts.
