3 Teams That Should Trade For Trey Lance

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance continues to be the subject of trade rumors, according to ProFootballTalk. The 49ers invested three first-round selections and a third-round pick in Lance, who’s been limited to eight regular-season appearances across two campaigns due to recurring injuries. Trey Lance’s future now hangs in the balance.

Seventh-round revelation Brock Purdy is the in-house favorite to serve as San Francisco’s starter in 2023 despite suffering a season-ending elbow injury in their NFC Championship Game defeat. The 49ers also signed veteran quarterback Sam Darnold as insurance. Darnold’s presence further complicates Lance’s standing within the organization.

49ers general manager John Lynch has refused to rule out a Lance deal this summer. Rumors will continue running rampant ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. We’ve swiftly identified three potential landing spots for Lance.

TENNESSEE TITANS

The Lance-to-Titans speculation began when the quarterback tweeted an “eyebrows emoji” after the Titans hired former 49ers front-office executive Ran Carthon to be their new general manager. While Lance’s tweet was likely an innocent congratulatory post, rumors began making their rounds nonetheless. The Titans do happen to be in the market for a quarterback.

Carthon was with the 49ers when they made the aggressive trade-up to draft Lance. Carthon has also signed several ex-49ers this offseason, including linebacker Azeez Al-Shaiir and offensive linemen Daniel Brunskill. The Titans have been rumored to possess an interest in acquiring the No. 3 overall pick in order to draft a quarterback, but acquiring Lance would cost far less.

Ryan Tannehill has been the subject of trade/release rumors. Malik Willis didn’t show enough progress as a rookie to keep the Titans from looking elsewhere.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

The Buccaneers found themselves in salary cap hell following the retirement of Tom Brady. Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht had been borrowing from the future to finance the present, which helped lead to a Super Bowl victory. The Buccaneers began the offseason with the league’s 32nd-raked cap situation as a result, per Spotrac.

Licht did well to get the Bucs cap-compliant, but their lack of financial wiggle room limited their ability to search for Brady’s successor. Licht signed Baker Mayfield to an incentive-ladened deal as a result of his constraints. Lance is under contract through 2024 on an affordable, cost-controlled rookie deal. Lance’s deal also has a team-friendly fifth-year option for 2025. Lance’s reasonable contract could allow the Bucs to enter his sweepstakes.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Could the Texans pass on an opportunity to draft one of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Levis, or Anthony Richardson with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2023 NFL Draft? It’s becoming a possibility that’s being discussed around league circles.

If so, Texans general manager Nick Caserio must acquire an alternative choice to start under center. Texans fans can’t continue suffering through the Davis Mills experience. New Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans spent the previous two campaigns alongside Lance in San Francisco. Ryans hired Bobby Slowik to be his offensive coordinator. Slowik worked with Lance as San Francisco’s passing game analyst (2021) and coordinator (2022).

If the Texans are passing on a quarterback for Will Anderson Jr., Ryans, and Slowik could stand on the table for Lance.