4 landing spots for quarterback Trey Lance if the 49ers trade him

With Brock Purdy’s success, what will be with Trey Lance and the 49ers? It’s anyone’s guess if both quarterbacks will make the roster, but only one will get the starting job.

The quarterback position is, by far, the hardest transition you can make from college to the pro level. In fact, most teams struggle to find stability at the position for more than even a couple of seasons at a time. Once a team finds that stability, it’s even harder to have history repeat itself in terms of passing the torch.

Since the 1990s era, the San Francisco 49ers have consistently been one of those teams that haven’t been able to find a long-term answer at quarterback. However, the 2023 season figures to be completely different for the red and gold.

Barring injury, the 49ers will have two young, capable options under center.

With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo packing his bags for the Las Vegas Raiders, the future of the Niners is officially in the hands of either Brock Purdy or Trey Lance.

The popular opinion is that head coach Kyle Shanahan won’t carry both quarterbacks into the upcoming regular season. Primarily because they both have starting capabilities. It’s also the popular opinion that if one is traded, after the season that Purdy had, then Lance would be the odd man out.

Previously, we looked at some Lance trade packages that could bring the most value to San Francisco. Now, let’s look at trades that make the most sense for both sides.

Here are four landing spots for Lance if the 49ers elect to trade him.

Trey Lance trade spot No. 4: Houston Texans

Newly hired head coach DeMeco Ryans has already lured away defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway and safety Jimmie Ward to join him in Houston with the Texans.

Why not bring in a potential franchise quarterback next?

To put it politely, their situation at quarterback is bleak, to say the least. Having only Case Keenum and Davis Mills on the roster can’t possibly provide a sense of security for a rookie head coach. At the very least, the thought of Lance pushing the stable to better competition has to be intriguing.

Ryans was a valuable member of the Shanahan regime from the word “go,” so he had a front-row seat every time Lance was on the field. After all, Ryans did turn down a head coaching opportunity with the Minnesota Vikings last year to give it one more run at a title in San Francisco.

Maybe Lance’s ability was the reason that had he stuck around for one final season.

Going to a team with a familiar face would ease the tension of transitioning to a new system, and Ryans did stress the importance of building a team around the quarterback. It seems perfectly logical to build that system around a young quarterback that he has some rapport with.

Purdy’s didn’t fair well for Lance, no matter how you slice it, and the argument has been made repeatedly that he hasn’t had an opportunity to showcase his abilities for the faithful.

By that same token, maybe a fresh start is just what he needs to grow into the role of everyday quarterback.

It’s purely speculation at this point, but the Texans need a reliable, everyday option at the most important position in the game, and depending on the price, Lance just might be available.