Quarterback Trey Lance may have given himself the advantage to win the starter's job for the San Francisco 49ers, and it's thanks to this reason.
The San Francisco 49ers quarterback situation is going to be highly discussed this offseason, much like it was during the 2022 campaign. While Brock Purdy impressed late in the season and helped the team reach the NFC Championship Game, he is currently recovering from elbow surgery. So, there is going to be a competition for the starting job this summer, with Trey Lance and Sam Darnold headlining.
Yet, the former No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has the advantage.
In an interview with The Athletic, private quarterbacks coach Jeff Christensen revealed that Lance had made a "substantial jump" after he stood behind and worked out with Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Trey Lance learned from Patrick Mahomes this offseason
"I said, 'Watch this. Watch what he does here,'" Christensen recounted. "It was something I was telling him to do that he wasn't quite doing. And then he saw Patrick apply it perfectly. And I think that visual buy-in, that mental buy-in, helped him past that mental hump.
"And to his credit he just kept getting better. (Over) the last seven days, every day was a substantial jump."
There is no better quarterback to learn from than Mahomes, considering how much of an impact he made in his first five years as the Chiefs' starter.
Christensen told The Athletic that when he started working with Lance in March, his arm would become sore after three days of workouts. But over time, Lance would not deal with pain in his arm, including in the 49ers' offseason program.
Lance didn't have much luck in his first two years with the 49ers. He sat in his first season, as Jimmy Garoppolo had what was supposed to be one last run as the starter. But he also dealt with a hairline fracture in his right index finger that never really healed until this offseason. Then, the 49ers made the transition from Garoppolo to Lance. The former North Dakota State signal caller had a rough start against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 last year. Then the following week, Lance broke his ankle, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said that he has been impressed with how Lance has performed so far this offseason, saying that he was in "a much better place."
"He was able to get such a better base in these last two months that I think Trey is the best that we've (seen) him right now," Shanahan said, h/t NBC Sports Bay Area. "Yeah, we got to get into OTAs and practice, but when you watch his feet, his timing, how he's throwing the ball, he's in such a better place now than he was last year at this time."
The 49ers are looking to contend for the Super Bowl, as they have in recent years. But first things first, they need to find out who will be their starting quarterback. So far this offseason, Lance is impressing.
