Trey Lance trade rumors: 49ers QB gets linked to these 3 teams

With August heating up, 49ers quarterback Trey Lance finds himself immersed in more trade rumors ahead of the preseason.

Squarely in the middle of the 2023 NFL Draft, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported the San Francisco 49ers weren't fielding trade offers for quarterback Trey Lance, nor were they actively making calls.

Rapoport did, however, suggest the Niners could look to move Lance later this summer, perhaps in August.

Well, it's August now.

With San Francisco all but crowning Brock Purdy as the No. 1 quarterback, and Sam Darnold poised to be No. 2 on the depth chart if necessary, Lance has become something of an excess commodity. While the 49ers don't necessarily have to jettison the No. 3 overall pick from the 2021 draft, they probably would consider offers if the right package was sent in return.

And it just so happens that rumor and speculation about potential teams being interested is heating up.

Former NFL general manager suggests 3 teams could trade for 49ers QB Trey Lance

Jeff Diamond, the former general manager of the Minnesota Vikings and team president of the Tennessee Titans, is now writing for the 33rd Team and came up with a number of players who could be moved around the league between now and Week 1 of the regular season.

Lance was the first player Diamond referenced. And while there's also a suggestion the Niners could feature Darnold aplenty during preseason action to trade him, too, it's hard to imagine any other squad looking to pick up the No. 3 overall pick from the 2018 draft on a one-year rental, as Darnold is signed merely through 2023.

No, Lance is the focus that Diamond has. And he listed three teams that could potentially be interested:

"The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons or Washington Commanders all have questionable quarterback situations with Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers), Desmond Ridder (Falcons) and Sam Howell or Jacoby Brissett (Commanders) as projected starters. All three teams can easily afford Lance’s minimal base salary this season."

Would Buccaneers make most sense for a Trey Lance trade?

Citing the same 33rd Team article, Sports Illustrated's Kade Kimble broke down a bit more detail about one of those three suggested teams, the Bucs, and a would-be trade with San Francisco for Lance.

Mayfield and fellow quarterback Kyle Trask would be Lance's primary competitors, should a trade go down, but it's a low-risk deal for Tampa Bay to acquire Lance, according to Kimble:

"Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are currently the two quarterbacks battling for the starting quarterback position. Lance would fit right into the battle and could be a great, cheap option for the team to try and build around. If the pairing doesn't work out, the team doesn't lose much at all."

Read more: 49ers' 1st unofficial depth chart is out, time to overreact

Now, the problems arise when discussing compensation for a would-be trade. Considering the 49ers gave up two additional first-round picks, plus a Round 3 pick, to move up and grab Lance back in 2021, it's not likely they'd accept a mere mid-round pick from a team like the Buccaneers to acquire Lance, who is still just 23 years old.

The Niners may be more inclined to sit tight with Lance and wait it out, meaning any team like the Bucs, the Falcons or even the Commanders would potentially need to get into some sort of bidding war.

With that not seeming too likely, though, the question is whether or not San Francisco is in a rush to jettison Lance for the best available trade at the time.

It's a guess, but the 49ers probably sit tight for now, unless a team like Tampa Bay offers up quite a juicy trade package for the quarterback, which also doesn't seem likely.

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