Posted on: April 20, 2023, 12:23h.
Last updated on: April 20, 2023, 12:58h.
Multiple teams have contacted the San Francisco 49ers about acquiring quarterback Trey Lance in a trade.
Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network reported that the 49ers aren’t seeking a trade and are sticking with Lance for now.
The jury is still out on Lance, the #3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. He served as the understudy in his rookie season behind starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In his second season, Lance earned the starting job. He fractured his ankle in Week 2, and he missed the remainder of the 2022 season.
The 49ers recently acquired quarterback Sam Darnold to bolster their bench after Garoppolo signed a three-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders as a free agent in March.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan expects Lance will be the starting quarterback in 2023, with Brock Purdy acting as the backup after he recovers from a torn UCL injury. Until Purdy returns, Darnold begins this upcoming season as the second-string quarterback.
The Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings, and Tennessee Titans are among the teams seeking to land Lance in a trade. DeMeco Ryans, the new head coach of the Texans, is a former defensive coordinator from the 49ers. Bobby Slowik, the new offensive coordinator of the Texans, spent last season as the 49ers’ passing game coordinator and developed a close relationship with Lance.
The Lance and Purdy Show
Lance fractured his right ankle against the Seattle Seahawks in the second game of the season. He underwent season-ending surgery, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. In limited action, Lance completed 15-for-31 passes for 194 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception. He added 67 rushing yards before his injury.
Garoppolo took over at quarterback until he sustained a foot injury in Week 13 that knocked him out of the season. At that point, the 49ers turned to Purdy. The rookie third-string quarterback was known as “Mr. Irrelevant” because he was the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft. Purdy quickly shed that moniker when he led the 49ers to six straight victories to end the season.
In the final five games of the season, Purdy completed 67.1% of his passes for 1,374 yards. He tossed 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he added one rushing touchdown.
Purdy guided the 49ers to two more victories in the playoffs against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild card, and against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC divisional round. The 49ers locked up a trip to the NFC championship against the Philadelphia Eagles, but Purdy’s magical run ended when he sustained an elbow injury on his throwing arm.
Backup Josh Johnson was knocked out of the game with a concussion, and the 49ers were toast. Without a viable passing game, the 49ers lost, 14-3.
In three playoff games, Purdy completed 65.1% of his passes for 569 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He also scored one rushing touchdown.
49ers Gambled on Lance in 2021 Trade
The 49ers made a bold move 25 months ago when they went all-in on Lance. Prior to the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers held the #12 pick, but they moved up in the draft to acquire the #3 pick from the Miami Dolphins. The huge trade between the Dolphins and the 49ers included a first-round pick swap, two future first-round picks in 2022 and 2023, and a third-round pick in 2022.
At the time of the trade, the Jacksonville Jaguars held the #1 pick and the New York Jets had the #2 pick. Trevor Lawrence from Clemson was the consensus #1 pick at the time, and he was headed to the Jaguars.
The Jets were undecided at the time, but they had multiple options because the 2021 NFL Draft featured a quarterback-heavy class that included Lance from North Dakota State, Zach Wilson from BYU, Justin Fields from Ohio State, and Mac Jones from Alabama.
The Jets selected Wilson with the second-overall pick and the 49ers grabbed Lance at #3. Fields ended up with the Chicago Bears with the #11 pick, and the New England Patriots selected Jones with the #15 pick.
The Jets misfired with Wilson, who was benched in the middle of last season. The Jets squandered the #2 pick in 2021 and currently have their eyes on acquiring Aaron Rodgers in a trade with the Green Bay Packers.
After a slow start in Chicago, Fields found his groove as a starting quarterback with the Bears this past season.
Meanwhile, the Patriots and Jones hit a bumpy stretch in their relationship. Jones led the Patriots to a wild-card berth as a rookie but struggled in his second season, which led to rampant trade rumors this offseason.
49ers in the Futures Market
The 49ers are the defending NFC West champions. They enter this season as the betting favorite to win the NFC West at -140 odds. The Seattle Seahawks (+250) are their closest competitor, followed by the Los Angeles Rams (+475), and Arizona Cardinals (+2000).
The 49ers are +700 odds to win Super Bowl LVIII, according to DraftKings. The Kansas City Chiefs are the consensus favorite to win the Super Bowl in back-to-back seasons, and they’re at the top of the DraftKings’ futures board at +600 odds. Last year’s runner-up, the Philadelphia Eagles, are third on the board at +750 odds, right behind the 49ers.
The Eagles are the defending NFC champions, but they enter this season as a co-favorite with the 49ers at +350 odds to win the NFC championship. The 49ers qualified for the NFC championship three times in the last four seasons and were the conference runner-up in the last two postseasons.
The Eagles defeated the 49ers in the 2022 NFC championship game and advanced to Super Bowl LVII. The title game wasn’t much of a contest after Purdy sustained an elbow injury. After losing their backup quarterback to a concussion in the first quarter, the injury-riddled 49ers scored only three points and played pretty much the entire game without a starting quarterback.
DraftKings posted prop bets for next season’s NFL win totals. The 49ers have a win total of 11.5 over/under in 2023. They are tied with the Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals for the highest projection in the league at 11.5 o/u.