The San Francisco 49ers have indicated that they will be fully committed to Brock Purdy when he recovers from his elbow injury, which has led to questions about what the future holds for Trey Lance. It sounds like a trade is not out of the question.
Several teams have inquired about the possibility of trading for Lance, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. The 49ers have had some discussions with those teams, though they have not initiated any calls themselves.
Sources: The #49ers have received inquiries from several teams looking into a potential trade for former No. 3 pick QB Trey Lance. The conversations have been the result of SF fielding the calls, not making them, with teams aware that Brock Purdy is likely the future starter. pic.twitter.com/ddOZjZq5Xn
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 19, 2023
Rapoport added that the 49ers will want to be certain Purdy’s rehab from elbow surgery is going well before they consider moving on from Lance.
San Francisco traded up to No. 3 in the NFL Draft two years ago for Lance. A lot has happened since then. Jimmy Garoppolo led the Niners to the NFC Championship Game in 2021, but Lance still entered last season as the team’s starting quarterback. The 49ers chose to bring Garoppolo back after unsuccessful attempts to trade him, and Garoppolo got his old job back when Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
Garoppolo then broke his foot in Week 13, which gave Purdy an opportunity. The seventh-round pick led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game, where he suffered the elbow injury. He played extremely well prior to that and finished with a QB rating of 107.3 in the regular season and 109.8 in the playoffs.
All of that is to say that the Niners understand the value of quarterback depth. Lance and Purdy are playing under rookie contracts, so keeping both is not an issue. Lance also appears to have made some big improvements this offseason, which may raise his trade value. The Niners should have plenty of options.
