The San Francisco 49ers paid a lot to get Trey Lance.
To move up nine spots to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers sent the Miami Dolphins the 12th overall pick in 2021, a third-round pick that year and first-rounders in 2022 and 2023. The Dolphins used the extra picks to acquire Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle and Bradley Chubb.
Lance has thrown 102 passes for the 49ers and seems like he needs a new start after being pushed down the depth chart.
The 49ers have taken multiple trade calls on Lance, according to NFL Media. Lance has caught bad breaks through his short NFL career. He might be in line for another if the 49ers don't feel they can trade him yet because of Brock Purdy's elbow.
If Purdy would have finished last season healthy, a Lance trade might be obvious for San Francisco. But Purdy hurt his elbow in the NFC championship game, and now everything is more complicated.
Purdy told Yahoo Sports' Jori Epstein he's “not really sure, honestly” if he'll play in 2023. While all the timetables for Purdy's return have him playing this season, it's not assured. The 49ers signed Sam Darnold and he could fill in, but it's a lot of quarterback uncertainty for a team that has Super Bowl hopes.
That's why a Lance trade isn't easy. Two years ago the 49ers were high enough on Lance that they traded a fortune to move up and draft him, so they don't want to give him away. But the 49ers seem to have soured on Lance. He has his own injury he's working back from, a fractured ankle suffered in Week 2. Like the situation needed to be more convoluted than it already is.
Lance has barely played since 2019 at North Dakota State, he hasn't been great when he has played, he's coming off an injury and is already two years into his cheap rookie deal, which depresses his trade value. The 49ers have to decide: Do they sell Lance while he still has some value, or keep him not knowing what will happen with Purdy's recovery?
In the middle of the conundrum is Lance. He probably needs a new team that values him. But the team he's currently on, which isn't so high on him anymore, might need him just in case.
Lance hasn't caught a break since he entered the NFL. His first season he sat for most of the year when Jimmy Garoppolo got hot. He got a chance in his second season but it didn't last long. He didn't play well in a monsoon of a rainstorm at the Chicago Bears in the opener and then broke his ankle early in Week 2. The 49ers had a fantastic offense around the quarterback, and Lance had to wonder what might have been as Purdy got a shot and nearly helped San Francisco to a Super Bowl.
There are plenty of teams that could use a 22-year-old quarterback who, two years ago, was a blue-chip prospect and hasn't played enough to form any judgments on what he'll be as an NFL player. It's not surprising that teams are calling the 49ers to find out what it would take to get Lance. It would all be a lot easier if the 49ers' preferred quarterback hadn't torn the UCL in his throwing elbow.
There's plenty of intrigue with the draft a little more than a week away. A quarterback who wants to get his career on track after two lost seasons waits to find out what his 2023 outlook will be.
