National Football League

Will Lance follow mold of Mahomes, Jackson after sitting a year?

Published Feb. 27, 2022 4:55 p.m. ET

At the start of next season, Trey Lance will be entering his second year as an NFL quarterback.

And though his player card will show two years on his résumé, it will be his first seeing substantial playing time should the Niners designate him as their starter — which according to Ryen Russillo, should absolutely be the case.

"When a team moves the draft capital that the Niners moved to go up and draft a Trey Lance, who played one college game in his last season, that tells you that the team thinks Jimmy Garoppolo isn't the answer," Russillo told Joy Taylor on Friday's edition of "The Herd."

"If you want to tell me he needs to sit one year, that's fine. But there's a lot of times in life that you have to take on a job that you might not be ready for. I've never quite understood this fascination with just sitting people, especially when you've drafted them this high. There comes a point where the watching can be beneficial, and then it can be overdone, and at that point, you're holding up the development of actually getting out there and playing real games.

"You can get past a point of no return, and you're burning those early years."

Lance — the third pick in last year's draft — made sporadic appearances throughout his rookie campaign, and even started two games while Garoppolo dealt with injury. Through six showings, he recorded 603 passing yards on a 57.7%, tossing five touchdowns and two interceptions with a quarterback rating of 97.3.

Lance joins a host of quarterbacks in recent memory who have been drafted early, but had to delay their gratification as they awaited a chance to shine. Some of those men succeeded when afforded their opportunity, while others apparently could have waited a little longer.

Let's take a look at some recent cases of the sort.

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Mahomes is arguably the most recognizable quarterback league-wide, and that's due in large part to the fact that he's generally one of the last QBs standing in the postseason on a yearly basis. In four years as a starter, Mahomes has already won a Super Bowl, a SB MVP, a league MVP, received a first and second-team All-Pro selection, and made four Pro Bowls. He's also made four straight trips to the AFC Championship Game.

But his career didn't begin with immediate accolades. After being selected 10th in the 2017 NFL Draft, he started just one game during his rookie season (a Week 17 matchup with little implications after K.C. had already clinched a playoff berth), before Alex Smith was traded to Washington prior to the 2018 season.

JaMarcus Russell, Oakland Raiders

Keeping things in the AFC West, it's hard to think of a highly touted prospect who's flopped as inimitably as JaMarcus Russell. Russell was the top pick in the 2007 NFL Draft and saw action in four games during his rookie year in 2007, starting just one game as he split time with and Daunte Culpepper and Josh McCown.

Russell was handed the keys to the franchise in 2008, and went on a downhill spiral from there. Numerous lowlights tainted his short tenure with the team, including rumors of several late appearances to team events, weight issues, and immaturity grievances from coaches. By the end of the 2009 season, Russell's NFL career was over, culminating perhaps the biggest bust story in NFL history.

Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Back to the positive. Brett Favre's wavering retirement saga kept Rodgers — the 24th pick in the 2005 draft — dormant for three seasons as he waited in the wings. But when Rodgers did finally get his opportunity, he seized utmost control of it.

Rodgers now has four MVPs and first-team All-Pro selections, a Super Bowl MVP (XLV), 10 Pro Bowl nods, and is a member of the league's All-Decade team for the 2010s.

Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers

Sitting behind Drew Brees is generally not a bad thing. Before Brees was breaking records in New Orleans, he manned the offensive attack for San Diego. Just behind Brees on the team's depth chart was Phillip Rivers, the fourth pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

He remained sidelined until his third season. That year, he started all 16 games, and held down the squad's starting spot for over a decade after that. Rivers was an eight-time Pro Bowl selection, won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2013, and was named to San Diego's 50th Anniversary Team.

Jake Locker, Tennessee Titans

Jake Locker signed a four-year, $12 million deal after going eighth overall to Tennessee in the 2011 NFL Draft. He was highly touted following a four-year stint at Washington, and even garnered comparisons to Steve Young for his combination of arm strength and rushing ability.

Locker didn't start during his rookie season, as he sat behind Matt Hasselbeck before taking over the job in his second campaign. He never led a winning season, and saw his "games started" total dwindle by the year (11 in 2012, followed by seven, then five). The Titans declined the fifth-year option on his rookie deal in 2014 and Locker retired in 2015.

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Lamar Jackson burst onto the scene with a flair unlike the NFL had seen before. He won six of first seven games, stunning defenses with his game-breaking speed. But Jackson didn't start right away after he was selected 32nd in the 2018 NFL Draft, as he watched Joe Flacco from the sidelines through the first nine games.

Jackson became the youngest QB (21 and 364 days) to start a playoff game during his rookie campaign, and the very next season, became the NFL's second-ever unanimous MVP.

Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos

The 11th overall pick in 2006, Cutler got just five starts to begin his rookie year. Jake Plummer served as the starter when Cutler first arrived in town, but by 2007, the job was his. He started all 16 games two years in a row for Denver, before being traded to Chicago in 2009.

Cutler was Chicago's starter for eight straight years, finishing his career with a singular Pro Bowl appearance, and an appearance on Chicago's 100 greatest players list.