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.

Trey Lance trade spot No. 3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL legend Tom Brady has retired yet again. Barring any on-again, off-again retirement drama, reminiscent of Brett Favre’s contemplation, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are without a quarterback.

What former head coach Bruce Arians should have done before the start of last season was find a suitable replacement for the future Hall of Famer. But foolishly, he didn’t. What current head coach Todd Bowles should do is right the wrongs of his predecessor and trade for Trey Lance.

Tampa Bay became an instant contender following Brady’s addition for obvious reasons. However, he was also added to a team that had multiple, proven weapons at wide receiver with the likes of Mike Evans and Cris Godwin.

Add in a threat at running back, and Lance is put in a position that favors him.

Granted, having to follow the act of arguably the greatest quarterback of all time could be a recipe for disaster. If Lance performs terribly, then he’ll never get out of the shadow that Brady left behind. If Lance comes in and performs like an All-Pro, there’s still a statute of limitations on how long the shadow will exist.

Regardless of suitability at first, it’s an opportunity to shine in the best way possible, given the fact that Lance was given the wheel to drive this team all the way to the postseason. And, it’ll be his team, not a team that he’s sharing with Brock Purdy, or coming in to provide relief for.

If Lance wants to stick around and push Purdy for the starting job, then that’s between him and the front office.

But why not go to a team that needs help now and that would welcome him with open arms?

Trey Lance trade spot No. 2: Baltimore Ravens

As of right now, this potential trade is completely up in the air. And let’s leave it as a what-if situation.

If quarterback Lamar Jackson stays with the Baltimore Ravens, then Trey Lance may as well stay in San Francisco. Because, if Jackson is the starter, then Lance will never see the field.

However, let’s be real in terms of the current relationship between Jackson and Baltimore: It’s very messy. How it got that way, at face value, is completely suspect.

Initially, it seemed as though Baltimore wasn’t offering a contract to one of the most dangerous players in the game. That’s the suspect part. But, new evidence has been brought to light by the quarterback in question himself. Did the Ravens offer him a six-year contract with $133 million guaranteed? And if they did then why did he turn it down? There has to be some disdain there for Jackson himself to turn down that kind of money.

Maybe he finally realized his worth, and he was willing to go somewhere else and give it a go.

Both sides could patch things up in a hurry, and the Ravens could have a successful run at the playoffs yet again. With Jackson at quarterback, they stand a pretty good chance to win it all.

But what if they don’t?

If Lance can lead the Ravens and have the same success as Jackson, then that same money could be earmarked for him. That’s quite the increase from his current four-year, $34 million rookie deal. If traded, Lance would have two years to prove he’s worth that kind of money.

A lot of dominoes would have to fall for this scenario to play out, but once the first domino is pushed, the rest fall in line pretty quickly.

Trey Lance trade spot No.1: Green Bay Packers

For the first time since 2004, the Green Bay Packers are without quarterback Aaron Rodgers. This makes for another team that has parted ways with a long-time successful quarterback and now has money freed up for a sizable contract.

Once again, Trey Lance would have to prove that he’s worth big money, but if he did, then Green Bay is another destination that makes sense. Waiting for him in Wisconsin is another familiar face with whom he already proved he has chemistry.

Lance and Wide receiver Christian Watson played together at North Dakota State where they won two FCS Championships together in 2018 and 2019. At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, Watson is a big, physical target who can get open and fight for the ball when he needs to.

So, what would it take to bring the two together again? Maybe only a couple of mid-round picks in this year’s draft.

Once again, fans would probably be in an uproar if a trade went down that didn’t recoup San Francisco’s investment of multiple first-round picks. Unfortunately for the “Faithful,” that’s just not going to happen. Teams make sizable trades all the time that don’t make sense and sometimes never reap rewards that outweigh the risks, that’s just business.

If Lance were to find his way to Green Bay then the stage is already set for him to succeed. There’s a starting job available, a potential All-Pro wide receiver that he already has chemistry with and there’s money for a long-term sizable contract if he earns it.

Sounds like a recipe for success to me.