49ers’ Shanahan describes locker room as ‘fine’ after Trey Lance trade
The surprise of Trey Lance’s trade wore off inside the 49ers locker room by late Friday night as teamamtes bid him a fond farewell
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — As beloved as Trey Lance was during his two seasons with the 49ers, Friday’s trade did not come as a surprise, especially after Brock Purdy seized the starting job with his brilliance last season and Sam Darnold was announced Wednesday as the No. 2 quarterback ahead of Lance.
A day later, the 49ers formally announced Lance’s trade to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick.
Coach Kyle Shanahan described what he saw in the players’ sanctuary known as the locker room after Friday’s preseason finale, where he talked to players before kickoff and alerted them postgame of pending media questions.
“It was fine,” Shanahan said on a conference call with reporters on Saturday. “Guys saw it earlier in the day.” I’m in the locker room before kickoff, and there are a lot of players there, so I got to talk to a lot of guys. Trey came over here, and John (Lynch) and I personally delivered the news to him. He saw Deebo (Samuel) and possibly (Brandon) Aiyuk in the parking lot right when he went out, so they all got to catch up with him.”
As they exited the locker room following Friday’s 21-13 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, neither Samuel nor Aiyuk said anything. Earlier, Shanahan warned players to expect quarterback questions from incoming reporters, just two days after Fred Warner and Javon Hargrave were caught off guard by such inquiries while Lance’s status was unknown.
“It wasn’t that big of a deal when I spoke to them after the game,” Shanahan explained. “I just wanted to let them know how important it is for you guys and outside of that locker room.” When they come in, they are focused on the game.”
Fullback “Teams move on from guys, but it’s the human part that’s the hardest, because we all love Trey so much,” Kyle Juszczyk said. He’s such a nice guy and a great locker room guy that we’ll all miss him. But I’m glad to have a team that appears to want him.”
Even though it was the NFC rival Cowboys who came calling for Lance, that sentiment was shared throughout the locker room.
“Fresh start to Dallas.” “He’ll have a good time,” tight end George Kittle said. “Learn from a veteran quarterback, they’ll take good care of him down there.” It’ll be beneficial to him. And we’re all thrilled for him.”
Is there anything strange about the fact that it’s Dallas?
“No,” Kittle replied, before joking, “but we could go beat him up right now.” But I’m not going to do that. I have an unhealthy crush on him.”
Warner described Lance’s departure as “strange, for sure,” adding, “Obviously, I’m sad to see him leave, because he was a great teammate, great guy.” He was popular in the locker room. But I’m happy for him that he’s getting a new start somewhere.”
Lance did not leave angry.
“He said he is obviously going to be pulling for us and watching every step of the way,” Purdy said of his earlier Friday conversation with Lance outside the weight room. “But it was more like us being grateful for everything he’s done for us.”
“The minute we knew they were serious about trading him, we didn’t want the phone to hang up,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told Fox4 before their preseason game Saturday in Las Vegas. We were pleased with our draft evaluation of him and what we’ve seen on tape since of what he’s done in the NFL. We decided almost immediately after hearing the name. To be honest, I don’t want to plan, count on, or wish for his assistance this year.”
STATUS OF THE BOSA CONTRACT
Buying and selling Lance frees up $940,000 in cap space this year and $5.3 million next year, but those savings aren’t expected to speed up a new contract for Nick Bosa, who has yet to report while his agent negotiates the largest contract for a non-quarterback with 49ers officials.
“I doubt it has much of an impact,” Shanahan said. “It’s not just this year, but over a two-year period.” It’s not always just a cap, but also money (such as a signing bonus). Over a three-year period, cap and cash will eventually equalize. I don’t see it playing a big role in their negotiations.”
Lynch, the 49ers’ general manager, said Friday night that he expects Bosa to sign soon, adding, “We’ve got a lot of work to do, and we’ll continue to do that.” He’s a fantastic player. We need him here. We require his presence.”
KICKER CONFUSION
Shanahan is unsure if the 49ers will work out free-agent kickers, including Robbie Gould, their kicker the previous six seasons. Rookie Jake Moody strained his right quadriceps in practice Tuesday, and the 49ers will closely monitor his recovery in preparation for a possible debut against Pittsburgh on Sept. 10. Zane Gonzalez injured his calf in Friday’s warmup and will be out for several weeks, putting him on injured reserve.
“I’ve never been in this situation before,” Shanahan said, “where we have two really good kickers in our camp and both aren’t available at this time a few days before the final 53.” The next few days will be critical in determining how the rehab is progressing and determining where we will be two weeks from now when we begin. We’re going over everything and getting ready to move this roster.”
TIGHT END ROOKIE HURT
Ending on a cliff Cam Latu, a third-round pick who has improved in the last week following a rocky camp, is set to undergo knee surgery for a torn meniscus.
That means the 49ers must decide whether to place him on season-ending Injured Reserve before the team’s final cuts on Tuesday, or carry him onto the 53-man roster and then move him to short-term IR.
Behind Kittle, the 49ers are expected to keep three tight ends: Ross Dwelley, Charlie Woerner, Troy Fumagalli, and rookie Brayden Willis.
All-Pro security Talanoa Hufanga has a cyst (fluid) behind his knee, and despite missing practice this week, Shanahan downplayed the situation.
Although Hufanga and Tashaun Gipson Sr. return as the starting tandem, and rookie Ji’Ayir Brown is a roster lock, Tayler Hawkins suffered a fractured hand that will require surgery on Friday night. Hawkins was on the outside looking in. Veteran George Odum has been out with a shoulder injury for the past few weeks.
OTHER HEALTH CHANGES
The 49ers’ running back did not escape the preseason unscathed, despite the fact that starter Christian McCaffrey was barred from playing in any games. Jordan Mason suffered a foot sprain on Friday and is listed as day-to-day. Elijah Mitchell’s groin tightened up after returning to practice on Monday, and the 49ers didn’t want to push him any further in the preseason.
Wide receiver Chris Conley (shoulder sprain) is questionable, and cornerback A.J. Parker (hamstring) could be out for several weeks.
