There's some competition under center this summer on the 49ers' practice field, but off of it, third-year signal-caller Trey Lance and the rest of the quarterback room have developed a tight-knit bond.
"Yeah, we're all real good friends. I mean, we're all similar in age, pretty close," Lance told reporters after practice Friday. "So, it's just been really fun just to be able to work with those guys, bringing Brandon [Allen] in, Sam [Darnold] new this year.
"But it's just a fun group of guys, it's off the field, outside of football. I mean, we're all pretty good friends, so it's fun to hang around with those guys.”
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Lance last year came into the 2022 NFL season as the 49ers' top quarterback, making two regular-season starts before breaking his ankle in Week 2. He faces a new reality this summer as he and Darnold compete for the backup job behind Brock Purdy, who was cleared to practice this week after undergoing surgery in March to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.
Lance, 23, told reporters he was happy to hear Darnold would be joining the team, as they had met before when Lance was going through the pre-draft process in 2021.
“We had met actually when I was coming out pre-draft, before the draft, because he does something with the agency tie. So, we met and been to dinner and hung out," Lance said. "And I know he's good friends with [Buffalo Bills quarterback] Josh [Allen] and [Bills quarterback] Kyle Allen as well. So, we had met down in Orange County and hung out. So, I knew he was a great dude.
"I had been around him a few times, so I didn't know a whole lot, obviously, I’d seen him play and knew where he was drafted and everything like that and knew he had been put in tough situations in his career but knew he was a great person. So, I was super excited when Kyle told me that he was coming.”
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Darnold, who turned 26 last month, was taken No. 3 overall -- just like Lance -- in the 2018 NFL Draft and went on to encounter plenty of bumps in the road throughout his career's start. He never has been on a team as talented as the 49ers, however, and -- just like Lance -- is looking for a chance to prove he has what it takes to succeed in the NFL.
As long as Purdy remains healthy throughout training camp and the 49ers' preseason, it will be all systems go for the 23-year-old come Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season in Pittsburgh. And despite the on-field competition, it's clear Lance is having a blast bonding with his fellow quarterbacks.