SANTA CLARA, Calif. — San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance broke his right ankle Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks and will have season-ending surgery Monday, coach Kyle Shanahan said after the team’s 27-7 win.
Lance was hurt with 2:20 to go in the first quarter and replaced by Jimmy Garoppolo.
With 2:33 to go in the opening quarter, the Niners ran a zone-read play in which Lance had the option to hand off the ball to receiver Ray-Ray McCloud or keep it. He opted to keep it and ran up the middle, where Cody Barton met him in the hole. Lance fell awkwardly as his right leg appeared to fold under him.
Lance stayed on the field for a few moments in obvious pain. His right leg was put in an air cast, and his teammates quickly gathered around him to offer words of encouragement before he left the field on a cart and headed to the locker room. He was ruled out shortly afterward.
Garoppolo, the veteran quarterback whom Lance replaced in the offseason, entered the game and completed his first attempt for 4 yards before the Niners settled for a field goal. Lance was 2-of-3 for 30 yards and had three carries for 13 yards before he departed.
After leading the Niners in rushing attempts (13) and yards (54) in a Week 1 loss to the Bears, Lance spoke at length on Wednesday about the differences between college and the NFL and the need to protect himself when running.
“I’m not bigger, faster and stronger than pretty much everyone else,” Lance said. “Guys catch up a lot quicker, space is filled, guys close a lot faster, and I have to learn to protect myself, just being in a different situation knowing how important it is for me to stay healthy.”
After offseason surgery on his right shoulder in early March, Garoppolo agreed to a reworked contract with the Niners on Aug. 29, reducing his base salary from $24 million to $6.5 million (fully guaranteed) with incentives built in for playing time and team success that could take it up to $16 million.
Garoppolo looked comfortable in his first game action since his surgery, going 13-for-21 for 154 yards and a touchdown. He also had four carries for 5 yards and a TD.