San Francisco 49ers Trey Lance will start the new NFL season with plenty of questions in the air.

This was after the backup play-caller for starting QB Brock Purdy will reportedly be Sam Darnold, according to coach Kyle Shanahan in a report by ESPN.

Further, it was added by the outlet through a source that the Niners will explore all potential options for the former third overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft.

Shanahan discussed the situation with the 23-year-old during Wednesday's practice, where Lance did not participate.

Despite the development, the Niners coach hopes Trey Lance will stay with the team even if he is their potential no. 3 option when he spoke on KNBR radio.

"I'm really hoping so. I mean, this isn't a thing that we're giving up on Trey," Shanahan told KNBR. "This is more of how Brock played in his seven games. ... They both looked good, but we do have to make a decision here and you only get so many reps at it, and we feel, starting about 10 days ago, that Sam really separated himself. We gotta keep it real in that way."

The NFL Network was the first to report that Darnold was named as the backup to Purdy, placing the future of Lance in doubt.

Trey Lance's NFL future in a cloud of doubt

It remains to be seen what the Niners plan to do with Lance, someone they hoped to start a new era of 49ers football. Should they move on, it would be a huge backtrack for San Francisco considering the investment they made in the former North Dakota State Bison product, CBS News pointed out.

Recall that in 2021, the Niners traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Miami Dolphins to move up from the 12th spot to third overall to get their hands on Lance.