The 49ers have one too many quarterbacks on their roster, and as things stand, Trey Lance could be the third-stringer.
If that is the case, and Lance doesn’t beat out Sam Darnold for the backup job — or maybe even if he does — might the 49ers look to deal Lance before the start of the season?
ESPN’s Seth Walder thinks the team should deal Lance, and believes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the proper trade partner.
He proposed the following trade in a preseason trade proposal piece:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers receive: QB Trey Lance, 2024 second-round pick, 2024 sixth-round pick
San Francisco 49ers receive: 2024 second-round pick, 2024 third-round pick
It’s a pretty enticing theoretical offer. Perhaps so enticing that it’s completely unrealistic.
Walder’s logic is that the Buccaneers should be “chasing quarterback upside” even if Lance is a “long shot.”
In the event that Lance — who is only 23 years old — pans out, the Bucs would retain control in 2024 for cheap and have the right to exercise Lance’s fifth-year option in 2025. Injuries have limited him to eight games over the two seasons since he was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, so there is still a lot of unknown to his game.
The 49ers would gain a 2024 third-rounder (while giving back a seventh) and essentially trade up in the second round. (While we don’t know any team’s 2024 draft position yet, that could be a substantial jump given the forecasts for both teams.) This deal arms the Niners with more draft capital for next season while retaining Sam Darnold as their backup signal-caller to Brock Purdy for 2023.
The move would give the 49ers an additional third-round pick and likely improve their second-round pick towards the end of the first round. It almost seems like too good of an offer for a potential third-string quarterback, even with Lance’s upside.