49ers GM John Lynch: Trey Lance trade didn’t work out, but 'thank God for Mr. Irrelevant'

The San Francisco 49ers are poised to make their first Round 1 selection since the ill-fated trade to snag Trey Lance at No. 3 overall in 2021.

The move to trade for Lance didn't work out, as the quarterback started just four games in two seasons for the Niners before being shipped to Dallas for a fourth-round pick. Fortunately for general manager John Lynch, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the rest of the 49ers' brass, they stumbled into Brock Purdy the following year with the 262nd overall pick, the final selection in the 2022 draft.

If not for unearthing Purdy, the Niners could be in a predicament under center, but Lynch isn't using the Lance failure to scare him off any future moves in the draft. Rather, it simply informs their experience.

"I think, first of all, we have an ownership that's very supportive, and they support us greatly," he said on Monday, via the team's official transcript. "Jed, John, Denise, Jenna, Mara [York] they believe in Kyle and I and our leadership. And they believe when we think something's going to make us better, they say, go for it. And they don't give us a lot of restrictions there and that's comforting to know we can go be bold and do things like that. And yeah, we gave up a lot. We did it for reasons that we had and motivations and it didn't work out.

But thank God for Mr. Irrelevant [Purdy]. He helped us."

The GM noted that the Niners moving on from Lance displayed the organization's strength.

"I always am careful of this because Trey Lance's story hasn't been written yet," Lynch said. "He's in Dallas right now and I still think Trey's got good football in him. We'll see. That will play out. But I think also the freedom when you've done something, and you feel like maybe it can improve us to