NFL GM confirms 49ers QB Trey Lance trade rumors
The San Francisco 49ers looking to trade Trey Lance is the ‘worst kept secret,’ according to one NFL GM.
The voices calling smoke are only getting louder.
An NFL general manager confirmed to NFL insider Jordan Schultz of The Score that the San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has been fielding calls about the 2021 No. 3 overall pick, Trey Lance.
The trade talks were described by the unnamed general manager as the "worst kept secret" since the scouting combine earlier in the winter.
"I know they’ve listened," the GM added. "Lance is still young and on a rookie deal. He’s pretty talented."
The anonymous source also said that the 49ers signing former Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold in free agency to a deal that is heavy on incentives was interesting. And the GM also noted that the Brock Purdy situation only complicates things.
But similar to what most sources around the league are saying, the GM admitted that "it would take a pretty strong offer to get Lance."
The anonymous GM's confirmation only adds fuel to the report from NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, who reported on Wednesday that the 49ers "have fielded calls" about Lance's availability.
Mike Florio through his report in the ring as well. He reported that the Vikings and 49ers talked about Lance during the combine. Meanwhile, Rapoport has also mentioned on NFL Network that he "wouldn't be surprised if, at some point over the next few months, probably not imminently, but the next few months, someone ended up giving the 49ers enough to trade for Trey Lance."
The reasoning is simple: Someone has to still believe in Lance, even if that someone isn't the 49ers.
Lance played sparingly as a rookie, appearing in six games with two starts. He entered 2022 as the starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
It has been an exhausting run with Lance, who looked chalked full of potential but has yet to show the type of quarterback he can be for a long stretch of time at the NFL level.
Brock Purdy's emergence as a legit quarterback only complicated what was a complex relationship with Lance as the 2022 season came to a close. It is clear that 49ers general manager John Lynch placed Purdy on the fast track to be the team's starter if health allows in 2023.
But that doesn't answer the obvious question of what will the Niners do about Lance, the other young quarterback they paraded around as the savior of the franchise.
What is clear is that Lance is on the trade block, whether Lynch comes out to say it or not. And if all the reports are true, a trade may not be imminent, but it is only a matter of time before it happens.
