The 49ers might eventually trade Trey Lance following the confirmation of him losing the competition to be their second-string quarterback to Sam Darnold, but John Lynch flatly rejected claims they have been shopping him throughout the offseason.

Lance's future has quickly become a huge topic of conversation after Darnold was revealed to be the 49ers' QB2 behind Brock Purdy.

The decision naturally provoked talk of the 49ers trading Lance, their third overall pick in the 2021 draft, with The Athletic's Dianna Russini reporting San Francisco has long since been looking to deal him. Russini claimed the Niners had shopped Lance for much of the offseason but failed to receive a significant trade offer. General manager Lynch was quick to push back on that report.

"That's not accurate," Lynch told KNBR (h/t 49ers Webzone) of that report. "If I responded to every report, I'd have no time in my day, but that is not accurate."

Obvious suitors for Lance look to be thin on the ground, and the 49ers would appear to have little financial motivation to trade him given it would cost them $8.36 million in dead cap and save them just $940,000.

And Lynch is not anticipating a trade taking place before the 49ers' season opener in Pittsburgh.

Asked if he expects Lance to be on the roster for the Week 1 clash with the Steelers, Lynch replied:

"I think that's the most likely option. As I said, we're very happy with Trey. That's probably the most likely option, is that he's here. If we could find a landing spot for Trey, that is a really good one for him and works for our organization, that's not something we turn a blind eye to."But that's not where our focus is right now. I think our focus is on Trey getting back here and us being the best football team. We're getting close to Pittsburgh, and that's kind of where we're at."

The 49ers have been open about their wish to have as much insurance at the quarterback position as possible, and right now it looks as if Lance will remain on the roster as a highly drafted break in case of emergency option.

Breaking down the key factors of a potential Trey Lance trade

A parting might not be as inevitable as first thought.

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