Any intrigue in the final week of the NFL preseason is typically reserved for final decisions that must be made regarding position battles across the league.
You can throw that out the window when it comes to Saturday night's showdown between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium, however. We will have an old-fashioned grudge match on our hands featuring a former first-round pick getting the opportunity to prove his former employer wrong, and it will be broadcast nationally on the ESPN app.
According to Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, former Niners first-round pick Trey Lance will be the starting quarterback for Los Angeles when the team takes the field in Santa Clara on Saturday night.
Former 49ers first-round pick Trey Lance to start Chargers' preseason finale vs. San Franciscohttps://t.co/3gZLI4vngw pic.twitter.com/QlJiKkkF9P
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) August 21, 2025
Ex-49ers QB Trey Lance Gifted Opportunity to Prove Former Team Wrong
After wasting away on the bench for the Dallas Cowboys for the bulk of the 2024 campaign, Lance signed with the Chargers as a free agent this offseason and has inserted himself directly into the mix to be Justin Herbert's primary backup.
Harbaugh's plan for Saturday night's game, according to Chargers Editorial Director Eric Smith, is for Lance to start and play 1-2 series before being relieved by Taylor Heinecke, who will see the same amount of game action. From that point forward, UDFA QB DJ Uiagalelei will then play the rest of the game.
While fans in San Francisco have moved on from Lance, which was an easy thing to do considering the type of player Brock Purdy has become, any potential bad blood in this matchup will likely come from the former North Dakota State standout. That level of intrigue is undoubtedly going to be a topic of conversation once Saturday's slate of preseason games arrives.
Lance has performed quite well when the opportunity to see the field during these exhibition games has presented itself. The former No. 3 overall pick has thrown for 296 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions to this point in the preseason. Seeing that trend continue in a game where Lance is motivated to bring his best effort wouldn't be shocking.
On the other hand, this will likely be the most high-pressure situation the quarterback has found himself in since he last took the field as a Niner back in 2022. Proving that he can handle the moment and execute the game plan without any hiccups will be of utmost importance for the former San Francisco signal caller.
For a top-three pick at the quarterback position to play in as few games as the 14 appearances he has made since entering the league in 2021, there are arguably more unknowns surrounding Lance than there are with any of the quarterbacks taken in the first round since then.
What Lance does on Saturday night and the reaction to it from the football world will be telling.