The San Francisco 49ers made a surprising announcement on Wednesday: Brock Purdy will remain the team’s starting quarterback, and he’ll be backed up by Sam Darnold. That leaves Trey Lance as the odd man out, and the San Francisco 49ers may end up trading Lance — sources told Ian Rapoport that the team was “exploring options.” Let’s dive into potential Trey Lance trades and possible landing spots, including the Tennessee Titans.
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Trey Lance Trade: Best Landing Spots
Tennessee Titans | Trey Lance Trade & Landing Spots
The Tennessee Titans may currently have Ryan Tannehill, but they won’t have him forever. The 35-year-old quarterback is likely on his way out the league — or, at least, out of Nashville — within the next few years. The Titans have spent a pair of Day 2 picks on potential replacements, Malik Willis in 2022 and Will Levis in 2023, but neither player has shown much to this point. Willis struggled so much that the Titans swapped him out for Josh Dobbs after Tannehill got hurt last year. Levis had a rocky camp before struggling in Week 1 of the preseason, completing 64.2% of his passes but for only 3.9 net yards per attempt (NY/A). He took four sacks and threw a pick.
The Titans have two needs: a competent backup to Tannehill, which Willis may or may not be, and a potential replacement for him down the line. Trey Lance could play the first role better than Willis — it’s as of yet unclear because of how limited of a sample size we’re working with. Lance has recorded 7.2 NY/A over a two-season career with the 49ers, adding five passing touchdowns, three interceptions and 235 rushing yards on 4.4 yards per carry. Willis recorded 3.2 NY/A last year with no passing touchdowns, three interceptions and 123 rushing yards on 4.6 yards per carry. Lance is also only 23 years old, which is younger than both Levis and Willis.
Further, the 49ers’ front office has a direct connection to the Titans’ front office. General manager Ran Carthon, who arrived in Nashville this offseason, comes to Tennessee after spending six seasons in San Francisco’s front office, first as the director of pro personnel, then as the director of player personnel. During the 2023 offseason, Lance caught media attention after sharing a picture of Carthon captioned with the fingers crossed emoji on social media. The 49ers sold out to acquire Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, giving up four future picks, three of which were scheduled to come in the first round, and it’s likely that Carthon was involved in those conversations. Don’t be surprised if Trey Lance ends up with the Titans.
Arizona Cardinals | Trey Lance Trade & Landing Spots
It would be strange if the 49ers shipped off a player they spent so much to acquire to the Arizona Cardinals, a team within their own division, but it could make sense. The Cardinals won’t have Kyler Murray for a large part of the season, leaving them with an unanswered question at signal-caller. The team has several options to choose from, but training camp and preseason performance have likely shortened the list to last year’s backup, Colt McCoy, and rookie Clayton Tune. Those names probably don’t inspire much confidence for the Arizona faithful.
Trading for Lance would give the Cardinals another possible option to mix in with Murray sidelined, and he could also have some value after Murray returns. The 49ers gave Lance some run off the bench in his rookie season, and he was able to produce some rushing yards with his fresh legs. He would also work as a much more athletic backup to Murray than McCoy or Tune, which would require the Cardinals to make fewer scheme adjustments should Murray miss a time after his return. Some analysts expect the Cardinals will end up as the worst team in the NFL this year, so selling some spare parts to see what Lance has in the tank, with hopes of either keeping him as a backup or selling high if he plays well, could prove savvy.
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