While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t land a clear replacement for quarterback Tom Brady in free agency, a second chance awaits in the NFL Draft.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay wrote that it “makes sense” for the Bucs to trade with the San Francisco 49ers for quarterback Trey Lance in the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 27. Lance, a former No. 3 pick and North Dakota State star, became the subject of trade rumors this offseason.
Kay noted that the Bucs “have little ability to replace the future Hall of Famer without a trade” this year. The 49ers, meanwhile, “have a talent” in Lance “who could still develop into one of the league’s bright young stars despite a rocky start to his career”, Kay added.
Despite signing a four-year, $34.1 million deal as a rookie, Lance appeared in eight games in two seasons as a backup and due to injury. The 49ers plan to start rising star Brock Purdy, who went 6-0 in 2022 but sustained an elbow injury in the NFC Championship game. Lance has already earned the first two years of his rookie contract, and he may only cost a team such as the Bucs $9.3 million against the salary cap this year.
Kay suggested that the Bucs wouldn’t need to break the bank to swing a draft night deal with the 49ers, either. The Bucs have $1.87 million in salary cap space, per Spotrac, but could make the trade with just draft picks. The Bucs would need to make roster cuts to clear cap space.
A lot is made of Trey Lance’s ability to throw/run but rarely you hear people talk about his pocket awareness, which is arguably one of his best attributes imo
I love that he feels/evades pressure, keeps his eyes downfield, resets to throw, then takes off & slides for + yards
“Offering the No. 50 overall pick this year and a conditional first-rounder next year — which could be converted to a second-rounder based on Lance’s playing time in 2023 — may ultimately be enough to get the Niners to move on from the quarterback they gave up so much to acquire,” Kay wrote.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano originally floated Lance as a Bucs target back in January, as Kay noted.
“Get him healthy, pair him with the right offensive coordinator and reap the benefits of the development work the Niners did with him,” Graziano wrote.
Bucs QB Plan Remains a ‘Mystery’
After Brady retired on February 1, the Bucs tabbed Kyle Trask as the next starter before free agency, according to ESPN’s Jeff Darlington. Trask has only 10 snaps of NFL regular season experience in two years after the Bucs drafted him in the second round of the 2021 draft. The Bucs also signed Baker Mayfield in March, his fourth team in less than two years after a promising start at the 2018 No. 1 pick.
“The Buccaneers have been very quiet,” ESPN draft expert Todd McShay wrote. “There’s some mystery around their approach, but some people have wondered if they’d be in on a quarterback if one drops.”
The Bucs have mainly been linked to quarterback prospects who could fall to Tampa at No. 19 in the draft: Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson.
Bucs Not Interested in Trading Down
While Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Bucs are “excited” with Mayfield and Trask, the NFL insider noted one direction the Bucs don’t look poised to move.
“For one, I think the staff there is excited to see what they can do with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask,” Breer wrote. “For another, I know when another team called them about moving down, with the Bucs potentially coming up, Tampa Bay didn’t show much interest in doing it.”
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Proposed Bucs Trade Lands $34 Million Quarterback