Trey Lance landing spots: Potential fits with 49ers receiving trade calls from several teams, per report

The San Francisco 49ers have a decision to make in the near future about their staring quarterback. Will it be seventh-round pick Brock Purdy, who stepped into the starting lineup last year and went 7-1 as a rookie, or Trey Lance, who the 49ers gave up a king’s ransom for at No. 3 overall? On the heels of Purdy’s success in 2022, other teams have reportedly taken an interest in Lance.

The 49ers, according to NFL Media, have received trade inquiries from several teams looking into Lance. Ian Rapoport reports that San Francisco has not been making these calls, only fielding them. 

Lance was given the keys to the 49ers offense last season, but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2. The injury gave Jimmy Garoppolo his starting job back, but the veteran injured his foot in Week 13, paving the way for Purdy’s takeover. 

Lance is 2-2 as a starter in his two NFL seasons, and has completed 54.9 percent of his passes for 797 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions in eight career games played. Unfortunately, injuries have been a headline in the 22-year-old’s young career. He revealed last offseason that a finger injury affected his rookie campaign, causing him to throw the football differently, and then, of course, suffered a broken ankle this past season. 

It remains to be seen how much Lance can improve at the NFL level, but the 49ers may be in no rush to part ways with him. Purdy is recovering from elbow surgery this offseason, and may not be ready to start the 2023 season — and possibly miss the entire campaign. That being said, the 49ers also signed Sam Darnold this offseason, and if a team presents the 49ers with an offer they can’t refuse, Lance could be on the move. 

Let’s examine three logical landing spots for Lance if he were to be dealt:

Ryan Tannehill has just one year remaining on his contract, and the Titans are working in a new general manager, which has led to speculation at the quarterback position. In fact, new Titans general manager Ran Carthon comes over from the 49ers, where he spent six seasons in their front office. He knows Lance well, and could jump at this opportunity to bring him to Music City. Carthon and the Titans appear interested in adding a quarterback, as they have reportedly explored trading with the Arizona Cardinals, who hold the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft.

According to Pro Football Talk, the Vikings and 49ers had discussions about Lance at the NFL Scouting Combine. Mike Florio reports that his source doesn’t know whether those conversations are currently happening. Still, if the Vikings had interest earlier this offseason, they could have interest now. 

Similarly to the Titans, Vikings starting quarterback Kirk Cousins has just one year remaining on his contract, and Minnesota is a team expected to potentially be in play for a quarterback during the 2023 NFL Draft. Trading for a former No. 3 overall pick and giving him a year under Cousins to learn Kevin O’Connell’s offense would be a solid idea. 

Our Cody Benjamin put together three trades the Vikings could offer the 49ers for Lance, which you can read here.

There’s a lot of smoke right now about what the Texans will do at No. 2 overall. The narrative right now is that they may pass on a quarterback and instead take the No. 1 overall prospect in the class in Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. He is now the favorite to go second overall at Caesars Sportsbook (+135). 

The thought is if the Texans pass on a quarterback at No. 2, they would take one with their second first-round pick at No. 12 overall, but what if they instead sent a package of picks to the 49ers for Lance? The young signal-caller could need a change of scenery, and former 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans is now the lead man in Houston. If general manager Nick Caserio is not sold on this quarterback class, trading for Lance is an option.