4 bold trades John Lynch, 49ers could pull off before 2023 season begins

49ers bold trade No. 1: Trey Lance to Vikings

Ah, yes. Hitting on that 49ers quarterbacking conundrum.

So far through training camp, the Niners' trio of quarterbacks -- Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold and Trey Lance -- have been relatively even enough to suggest there's no wide spread between the three in terms of landing spots on the depth chart.

However, San Francisco has all but crowned Purdy as its starter moving forward, and he's been receiving almost all the first-team reps exclusively, leaving Lance and Darnold to handle second- and third-string reps during practice.

With $3.5 million of his $4.5 million one-year deal, Darnold isn't going anywhere. It's now Lance who looks to be the excess commodity after the 49ers aggressively traded up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft to grab him.

Lance is set to earn $9.3 million in 2023 and $10.85 million in 2024, which is a lot of money for a third-string signal-caller.

Back in Lance's home state of Minnesota, though, the Vikings are prepared to move on from veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins after the upcoming season, and they don't have a contingency plan in place to replace him.

Why not Lance?

Sure, Lance might not be akin to being a backup again for a second of his three pro seasons, but at least he'd know that 2024 would likely be his time to shine in front of his own home crowd.

Sure, the Niners would have to accept little more than a couple of mid-round picks, but that's likely all they'd get for a player who has just four regular-season starts over two years.

Read more from Niner Noise