Getty The San Francisco 49ers are fielding calls about Trey Lance.
With the 2023 NFL draft rapidly approaching, the San Francisco 49ers, like every team, have been finalizing their draft board in order to decide on which players could be added to the team moving forward.
But, according to recent reporting from Ian Rapoport and others from around the NFL, John Lynch and company may also be weighing the options around trading away Trey Lance, who was drafted by the team with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.
In the opinion of one NFL writer, Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated, opposing teams should think long and hard about trading for Lance, as teams don’t often trade three first-round picks for a quarterback only to trade them away before the end of their rookie contract.
“If the Niners are willing to trade a guy they gave up three firsts for, I’d think long and hard about why if I’m in inquiring team,” Verderame wrote.
With teams seemingly falling out of love with the 2023 quarterback NFL draft class, with some like Pro Football Focus suggesting that one of the top-four signal callers in the class could still be on the board when the Houston Texans are on the clock at pick 12, the prospects of acquiring a player like Lance, who is still only 22 with two years of experience at the NFL level, is incredibly intriguing. Whether a deal comes together, however, remains to be seen, as teams have reportedly been discussing Lance deals with San Francisco since the 2023 NFL draft combine.
Trey Lance Trade Talks are the NFL’s ‘Worst Kept Secret’
Discussing the conversation around the 49ers fielding trade calls surrounding Lance, The Score’s NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported that these conversations are one of the “worst kept secrets” in the NFL.
“Spoke with a GM today – who’s not in the market for a QB – about 49ers QB Trey Lance: ‘John [Lynch] taking calls on him was probably the worst kept secret since Indy. I know they’ve listened. Lance is still young and on a rookie deal. He’s pretty talented. [Sam] Darnold has tons of incentives in his deal and Purdy has the elbow problem. … I think it would take a pretty strong offer to get Lance,'” Schultz wrote.
If Schultz’s source is correct and the 49ers’ offseason moves signify a willingness to at least discuss trading Lance to another team, then it makes sense that San Francisco would be willing to listen to trade offers, especially from teams who have the ability to give him meaningful playing time right now.
The 49ers Might Not Need Trey Lance in 2023
Discussing his reporting further on the NFL Network, Rapoport explained why other teams may be willing to trade for Lance, especially if they are willing to give him meaningful reports on the field, which might not happen in San Francisco.
“He was the No. 3 overall pick, someone who not just was number three, but someone the 49ers traded a boatload of picks to move up and get,” Rapoport said via 49ers WebZone. “It has not worked out like I think anyone had planned. There’s the injury, hasn’t played a ton. Plus, Brock Purdy’s emergence as the likely future franchise starter for the 49ers. Plus, they signed Sam Darnold in free agency, likely to serve as the backup.
“Having a No. 3 overall pick, learning a little, getting not very many reps, and being the third-stringer, it just doesn’t make a lot of sense. And it feels to me like teams read the landscape, they kind of read the room, and they say, ‘I wonder if this guy might be available?'”
After starting the 2022 NFL season as the 49ers’ starter, the prospects of Lance spending even part of the 2023 season as a third-string clipboard holder is a sobering thought for Kyle Shanahan and company. If the right deal comes along from a team who view Lance as their new number one guy, and are willing to pay the price Lynch is looking for, the NDSU product may be off to a new home in time for Week 1.