For those who haven't heard—we're obviously kidding, as it's been impossible to escape—two of the San Francisco 49ers' biggest rivals engaged in a blockbuster trade on Thursday, with the Dallas Cowboys sending four-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers in exchange for a pair of first-round draft picks and veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark.
Naturally, outlets everywhere constructed lists of the most shocking trades in NFL history, which the Parsons trade certainly was. But according to Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox, who put together one of these lists, the Packers-Cowboys deal, which he ranked fourth, wasn't quite as shocking as the Niners' infamous trade with the Miami Dolphins ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, which he ranked second.
This was the trade, of course, that led to the selection of Trey Lance.
49ers catch smoke for Trey Lance trade thanks to Micah Parsons
For those who may have forgotten—we're betting most 49ers fans haven't—San Francisco was coming off a dreadful 6-10 finish to the 2020 campaign, one in which Jimmy Garoppolo was limited to just six games due to an ankle injury. He was also benched at one point. As such, Nick Mullens ended up starting eight games, with C.J. Beathard starting a pair as well.
With Jimmy G's health always a concern and the backup options not being the best, the 49ers were clearly in need of a change at quarterback. The 2021 QB class seemingly had several solid options at the top, but the problem was that San Francisco was picking 12th, which likely meant all those options would be off the board by the time the Niners went on the clock.
As a result, about a month before the draft, San Francisco GM John Lynch struck a deal with the Miami Dolphins to move up into the No. 3 slot. The surprise wasn't the 49ers moving up. The surprise was what Lynch gave up to do so.
Naturally, there was the first-round swap for the 2021 draft. But Lynch also sent the Dolphins a 2022 first-rounder, a 2022 third-rounder, and a 2023 first-rounder. That's a massive haul.
What's wild is that the 49ers had no clue who they were going to take at No. 3. There was no doubt that Trevor Lawrence was going No. 1 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And they likely got the courtesy call from Robert Saleh, who had recently resigned as San Francisco's defensive coordinator to become the head coach of the New York Jets, that Gang Green was going to take Zach Wilson at No. 2.
That left the 49ers needing to make the choice between North Dakota State's Trey Lance and Alabama's Mac Jones. The Niners obviously went with Lance, and the rest, as they say, is history.
After starting two games as a rookie, Lance was named the starter ahead of the 2022 season over Garropolo but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. And when Jimmy G went down yet again, seventh-round rookie and 2022 "Mr. Irrelevant" Brock Purdy came in and did what he did.
After the 49ers brought in Sam Darnold to back up Purdy in the 2023 season, Lance was traded to none other than the Dallas Cowboys, with Jerry Jones giving up a fourth-round pick, which San Francisco ultimately used to draft Malik Mustapha.
Lance ultimately appeared in just four regular-season games during his two-year stint with America's Team and now serves as QB2 behind Justin Herbert with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Overall, the trade with the Dolphins didn't hinder the 49ers as much as some thought it might, even with Lance becoming what can only be described as a bust. Nevertheless, the deal was quite shocking when it first went down.
For those wondering, Knox named the New Orleans Saints' 1999 trade with the team now known as the Washington Commanders to move up to select running back Ricky Williams. Having already moved their second-round selection that year, the Saints swapped first-rounders with Washington and then gave up their third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-round selections that year, while also throwing in a first- and third-rounder in 2000.