3 Trey Lance trade destinations if the 49ers are foolish enough to deal him

For teams without a future at QB, Lance could be the answer to all their problems

It seems like the Trey Lance era in San Francisco might be coming to an end before it could really start.

According to NFL Networks Ian Rapoport, the 49ers have received inquiries about the trading of Lance. Rapoport also says that San Francisco is fielding these calls, not actively making calls about trading Lance.

Lance’s time in San Francisco has been plagued by injury and what could’ve been. Lance sat behind Garoppolo his rookie year, only coming in sparingly. Then, as he was supposed to take the reins in his second year, he fractured his ankle in the second game of the season and didn’t play again. In his stead, the Niners traded for Christian McCaffrey and soared to new heights with rookie Brock Purdy as QB.

Although Purdy is nursing a UCL injury, the Niners signed Sam Darnold in the offseason, giving them even more insurance at the position, possibly in the event of a Lance trade. Per ProFootball Talk, Niners GM John Lynch said that the three will be in a QB competition, with Purdy in the lead so far.

If Lance were to be traded, here are three teams who should trade for the third year QB.

Houston Texans

As we inch closer and closer to the NFL Draft, the rumors continue to swirl about what the Texans will do with the second pick. Reports are surfacing about how much the Texans truly love this QB class outside of Bryce Young, and if Carolina chooses to take Young the Texans could end up not taking a QB and opting for a pass rusher like Alabama’s Will Anderson at 2.

If they’re not so sold on the QBs outside of Young, why not go get Lance instead? He’s been in the Niners offensive system his entire career and Texans OC Bobby Slowik worked with him closely in San Francisco. Not to mention, current Texans HC Demeco Ryans has seen Lance up close, from his time as Niners defensive coordinator. Instead of spending a pick on a QB class they’re reportedly not high on or riding the Davis Mills wheel for another year, the Texans can trade for Lance and kickstart his development away from San Francisco and in a new environment.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings have done their fair share of work on the QB class this year. Stanford QB Tanner McKee was brought in on a Top-30 visit, and as of April 15, the betting favorite to be the Vikings’ top pick in this year’s draft is Tennessee signal caller Hendon Hooker. According to Spotrac, Kirk Cousins’ contract becomes voidable next offseason, so the Vikings could be looking to get their QB of the future this year, to wait behind Cousins.

Lance is from Minnesota, and if the Vikings truly want to find their next QB after Cousins, Lance could be the perfect successor. He doesn’t have to start right away with Cousins playing out his contract, and with Kevin O’Connell continuing to call plays and Justin Jefferson on the outside, Lance could succeed quickly.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have also done extensive work on this draft class, inviting QBs Anthony Richardson, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker on top-30 visits. At the end of this season, QB Ryan Tannehill will be 36 years old and potentially another cap casualty. Backup QB Malik Willis feels more like a former GM Jon Robinson pick than current head coach Mike Vrabel. Willis also didn’t inspire much confidence last season, not starting the final two games even though the Titans were fighting for a playoff spot.

GM Ran Carthon also comes from San Francisco and has seen Lance up close and personal, so if the Titans are truly set on fully rebuilding after the 2023 season, Lance could be the guy they choose to build around.

BONUS: Why the 49ers should keep Lance

The answer here is simple: the San Francisco 49ers shouldn’t trade Trey Lance because we still don’t know what Lance would look like in this offense. Sure, you can argue that Lance didn’t inspire in his time as the signal caller, but last season the only true game he played was in a freaking monsoon against the Bears in Week 1. Lance still has the traits and tools to be a high tier QB in the NFL, and with the same safety blanket in CMC, Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, he would thrive.

If the QB competition is open as the 49ers say, Lance should win the job. He’s the more talented QB and he can do things that neither Brock Purdy nor Sam Darnold can do, and if he plays to his potential in practice he should win the job. Lance’s athletic traits give him a very high floor, and if Shanahan can get what he got out of Purdy, the ceiling with Lance is extremely high. Knowing what Purdy can do in the offense now is fine, so in the event that the starter goes down, the offense won’t miss a beat.

Lance should be the starting QB for the 49ers, if he’s as good as his draft position leads us to believe.