Why Brock Purdy’s Unexpected Message for Trey Lance Has NFL Fans Talking

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was an afterthought when he was drafted with the final pick in 2022. It took injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo before he saw the field, and after that, Lance and Garoppolo became expendable.

Purdy said he and Lance have never discussed exactly how everything went down, but nothing has changed about Purdy’s feelings about Lance. “We’ve just texted each other, like, ‘Hey, dude, hope you’re doing good,’ like, randomly throughout the season, offseason, or whatever. ‘Hope you’re doing good,’ this and that. It’s really just been that,” Purdy said. “We haven’t really gotten to the details of, ‘Hey, how do you feel with this happening?’ or whatever. We just stay away from that.”“I wanted nothing but the best for him, and I know he wanted that for me,” Purdy said. “But that’s just how this business goes and all that. When it did happen, we’re about to play our preseason game against the Chargers, and right before the game, they announced [the trade of Lance to the Cowboys], and I didn’t really know how to act or what to think. I was just like, ‘Man, I hope he can go to Dallas and compete and have a great opportunity.’”Lance, the third overall pick in 2021, lasted through training camp in 2023 before the Cowboys unwisely sent a fourth-round pick to the 49ers for him.Purdy is firmly entrenched as the 49ers’ franchise quarterback, having signed a five-year, 5 million extension with the team. Lance already is on his third team, having left the Cowboys to sign a one-year, million deal with the Chargers to back up Justin Herbert.

Brock Purdy’s journey to becoming the 49ers’ undisputed signal-caller is the kind of narrative that sneaks up on you — drafted dead last in 2022, barely sniffing the field until injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo paved a sudden path to prominence. Meanwhile, Lance’s trajectory, once packed with promise as a top-three pick in 2021, has been a whirlwind, bouncing from team to team faster than anyone anticipated. The contrast between what was expected and what actually unfolded is stark, and you can feel the weight of it in Purdy’s words — the respect for Lance’s talent tangled with the harsh reality of the business side of the NFL. Their bond remains, albeit strained by circumstance and distance, underscoring just how unpredictable and personal this sport can be. LEARN MORELance’s career has not gone how anyone expected.“It’s tough, because Trey and I are tight, dude,” Purdy said during a recent appearance on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “Absolutely, we’re boys, and we’re bros.”