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Jimmy Garoppolo is on the practice field for the Las Vegas Raiders at the start of training camp, which means that the team should be set at quarterback heading into the season. However, the future beyond 2023 is less clear.
Given Garoppolo’s age (31) and extensive injury history, the Raiders should be trying to trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance as an insurance policy for Garoppolo, according to Bleacher Report.
“Lance was a highly regarded draft prospect who had an incredible collegiate season in 2019 (28 TDs, zero INTs, 1,100 rushing yards),” B/R’s Kristopher Knox wrote in a July 24 story. “Teams seeking an heir to an aging or oft-injured starter, like the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders, should make an offer for Lance immediately.”
Lance, 23, was the 49ers’ No. 3 pick in 2021, but he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 of 2022, paving the way for rookie quarterback Brock Purdy to seize the starting job.
Knox acknowledged questions about the health of Purdy, who had elbow surgery in February.
“If Purdy’s recovery lingers through the preseason and Lance uses his opportunity to shine, the 49ers might not be willing to let him go,” he wrote.
But “Brock is cleared and ready to go,” according to 49ers general manager John Lynch. He told the media on July 25 that he’d enter training camp “without restrictions.”
Trey Lance Struggling at Training Camp
Lance “really struggled” at training camp on July 28, according to The Athletic’s David Lombardi, especially compared with Purdy and the team’s other quarterback, Sam Darnold. According to Lombardi, Lance completed only one of four passes and “blew 2 gimmes.”
Purdy was given 11 pass attempts and Darnold got seven, Lombardi tweeted.
Despite getting fewer opportunities at the July 28 practice, the 49ers are still high on Lance — with some reservations.
“I think, personally, in my opinion, is that they like him now more than they ever have since they’ve had him with the 49ers, but they just don’t know how he would perform,” Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area said, according to 49ers Webzone’s David Bonilla in late June.
Trey Lance Doesn’t Want Fresh Start Trade
If Lance can’t move up from third on the 49ers’ quarterback depth chart, the team could wind up trading him or releasing him outright.
However, when asked about a potential fresh start with another team, he said back in May that he didn’t want to go anywhere.
“No, not at all. I knew where I wanted to be. I just want an opportunity to compete,” Lance said during his May 23 media availability. “I love it here. I love the coaching staff. I love working with [quarterbacks coach Brian] Griese and [assistant quarterbacks] Klay [Kubiak] and now [offensive passing game specialist] Klint [Kubiak] as well. Love the quarterback room, love the guys in the locker room. No doubt for me, this is absolutely where I want to be.”
The 49ers could be trying to inflate Lance’s trade value, according to Sports Illustrated’s Grant Cohn.
“It seems clear that the 49ers would like to trade Lance. It also seems clear that they haven’t gotten good offers for him, and that’s because they have created the impression that they think Darnold is better than Lance. And that only hurts Lance’s trade value,” Cohn wrote in a story published in May. “In essence, the 49ers will spend the next few months trying to create the impression that they believe in Lance after they spent the past two years creating the impression that they don’t believe in him.”
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