Jim Harbaugh predicts Chargers' Trey Lance to have career resurgence

Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh believes backup quarterback Trey Lance can turn things around for his career. The 49ers drafted Lance as the No. 3 overall pick in 2021.

He was poised to be the face of the franchise, but that didn't go as planned. Brock Purdy, the last pick in the 2022 draft, ended up replacing Lance as the 49ers quarterback and San Francisco never looked back. Since then, Lance has spent the last few seasons as a backup quarterback, first with the Cowboys and then the Chargers.

Harbaugh believes Lance can follow a similar career path to Sam Darnold, who was also a No. 3 overall draft pick who became a backup. Darnold is now a Super Bowl champion after leading the Seahawks offense in 2025, despite all the early speculation that he was a bust.

" Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said he thinks backup quarterback Trey Lance can have the same sort of later-career resurgence former early-round picks Geno Smith and Sam Darnold have had. Harbaugh, in fact, was surprised to learn Lance is still just 25 years old," The Athletic's Matt Barrows and Vic Tafur wrote. “Great guy, great pro, great competitor — and we saw some really good development in him last year,” Harbaugh said to The Athletic .