1 potential issue could complicate a Trey Lance trade

Dec 19, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) smiles after defeating the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers might want to trade Trey Lance, but doing so could prove to be difficult.

The Niners on Wednesday named Sam Darnold their backup quarterback to Brock Purdy. That puts Lance third in line.

The 49ers will reportedly explore a potential trade of the 2021 No. 3 overall draft pick. Not only are the Niners battling the existing issues with Lance — he has limited experience and fell to No. 3 on the depth chart — but there is also a contract problem to consider.

While Lance is only earning $940,000 in base salary this season, he is under contract for $5.3 million next season. He also has a $10.8 million cap hit. That’s a pretty sizable cap hit for a team to take on with their potential backup quarterback.

The bottom line is that teams might be willing to give Lance a shot and see how he develops for them. But taking him on as a project would be expensive and possibly cost-prohibitive for many clubs.

Though San Francisco blew it with their trade for Lance, they made up for it with their pick of Purdy in the 7th round. It also helps them that they have Darnold under contract for $4.5 million this season. All together, the 49ers’ cap hit this season for the quarterback position is around $14.5 million, which is still around $7 million less than the cap hits for Russell Wilson and Daniel Jones. That’s not bad at all.