The 49ers are reportedly receiving trade inquiries about Trey Lance, and they might just move him if a package comes in from one of these teams.
The San Francisco 49ers have three different quarterbacks on their 2023 roster, and each of them has a legitimate reason why they should be named the starter heading into Week 1.
For Brock Purdy, it’s the fact he was at the helm of the NIners’ late run last year that went all the way to the NFC Championship game, and most analysts and pundits are already crowning Purdy as San Francisco’s starter going forward.
For Sam Darnold, he knows that Purdy is dealing with an elbow injury, surgery and subsequent recovery, all of which might keep the second-year pro from being ready by Week 1.
And Darnold also knows that Trey Lance, the 49ers’ prized pickup from the 2021 NFL Draft, now seems to be a lame duck.
This week, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Niners were receiving multiple calls from teams asking whether or not Lance would be available via trade. And while Rapoport also said “nothing was imminent,” with the 2023 draft just days away, it wouldn’t be overly shocking to see some 11th-hour blockbuster deal go down.
If San Francisco is enticed enough to move Lance, such a trade should come from one of these teams and be satisfactory enough for the 49ers to execute.
Trey Lance trade partner No. 4: Minnesota Vikings
Lance is from Minnesota and grew up a Vikings fan, so the natural fit of playing for a boyhood team has to be there. And while the Niners wouldn’t prefer to trade within the conference, a deal with the Vikings does make some sense.
Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins is a free agent in 2024 but carries a void cap hit of $28.5 million, according to Over the Cap, meaning Minnesota would have to absorb an affordable signal-caller making well below the mean of starting quarterbacks at about $20 million, annually.
Lance’s $10.9 million due in 2024 works.
Such a trade would finally close the door on the Cousins era, which is a debate in itself among Vikings fans. But, what would a deal look like?
Minnesota picks at No. 23 overall but not again until the end of Round 3, meaning a second-round pick is off the table as far as compensation. But, for the Niners to move into Round 1 of this year’s draft, sending Lance to the Vikings along with one of their three third-round compensatory picks, plus a 2024 second-rounder, should be enough.
Sound costly from San Francisco’s vantage point? Remember, Lance has just four NFL-level regular-season starts. He’s not commanding a first-round pick on his own.
At all.
OK, onto the next team.
Trey Lance trade partner No. 3: Detroit Lions
Yes, still within the NFC for a Trey Lance trade. But, we’re also still likely far away from the Detroit Lions being legitimate threats for a conference title anytime soon.
That said, Detroit makes plenty of sense as a trade partner.
For starters, veteran quarterback Jared Goff isn’t a long-term answer for a Lions team that’s currently on the ascent and also boasts two first-round draft picks. While the 49ers would love to get their hands on one of those, there’s no way Nos. 6 or 18 overall would be heading back to the Niners for any package involving Lance.
Detroit’s second-round selection, No. 48 overall, makes sense in itself, though. And it’s a lot cleaner a trade than one involving the Vikings.
Beyond finding a long-term upgrade over Goff, Lions general manager Brad Holmes showed interest in Lance back ahead of the 2021 draft, as this SB Nation article pointed out, and a trade would afford Detroit the opportunity to spend lucratively over the next two years while Lance is still on his rookie contract.
For a team like the Lions that has been downtrodden for years, going in that kind of splashy direction while the rest of the division is in some turmoil would be an aggressively wise move.
Trey Lance trade partner No. 2: Houston Texans
OK, you might have thought of this potential suitor already, but let’s revisit the argument.
The Houston Texans, despite owning the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, could easily make a play for Trey Lance. And it would make a lot of sense from their vantage point.
For starters, Houston could either trade down from that spot after acquiring Lance and get a ton of much-needed draft capital in return, or it can simply grab the best non-quarterback in this year’s draft class and turn him into a cornerstone player. Either route would be smart for a rebuilding Texans team under former San Francisco defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.
On top of that, Ryans brought over former 49ers pass-game coordinator Bobby Slowik to be his offensive coordinator.
Unless Slowik absolutely hated Lance during his time with the Niners, one could easily see how some continuity under center would be beneficial. Slowik would already have a rapport with the young quarterback.
Now, San Francisco probably wouldn’t get the No. 33 overall pick alone in exchange for Lance, but moving one of those comp picks at the end of Round 3 should be enough to secure the first pick in Round 2.
Trey Lance trade partner No. 1: Tennessee Titans
If the 49ers can’t get the Texans to bite, they can surely create some drama within Houston’s division, the AFC South, by courting a rival like the Tennessee Titans.
Tennessee is a lot like Detroit in this manner, only trending in the opposite direction but boasting an aging quarterback who isn’t a long-term figurehead, Ryan Tannehill, who’ll be a free agent next season and is effectively hitting a lame-duck year of his own in the wake of the Titans hiring another former Niners executive, Ran Carthon, to be their general manager.
Carthon already cleared out much of Tennessee’s excess, and his vision is likely one that’ll embrace a generation of playmaking quarterbacks like Trey Lance.
Not ones like Tannehill.
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At any rate, the Titans hold the No. 11 overall pick in this year’s draft but might be stuck between reaching for a signal-caller too soon and missing out on one of the top names like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, Kentucky’s Will Levis or Alabama’s Bryce Young.
Instead, Carthon can save that pick and use it on a top non-quarterback after dishing off the No. 41 overall pick to his former employer in exchange for Lance and San Francisco’s own fifth-round selection to sweeten the deal.
Just like that, the Titans have their young quarterback to build around.
If the 49ers bite, of course.