What should the 49ers do with/about Trey Lance?

[underpants]

The 49ers are rolling with Sam Darnold as the No. 2 behind Brock Purdy, coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. The team will explore all options with Trey Lance, the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, a source told ESPN.

If the 49ers trade Lance, he will count $5,540,956 in dead money over each of the next two seasons, and the team will save $3.76 million in 2023 and $5.31 million in 2024 against the salary cap.

If the Niners release Lance, he will count $14.61 million in dead money with no savings against the cap.

Another option would be for the Niners to keep Lance as the No. 3 quarterback. Since Shanahan and Lynch arrived in 2017, the team has had only one quarterback make it through an entire season healthy -- Jimmy Garoppolo in 2019.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38245942/source-49ers-mull-options-trey-lance-loses-qb2-battle

[Auggie]

1. It's a done deal. Trade him for anything they can get (draft choice is best)

Lynch and Shanahan have good success in selecting picks from lower rounds. What if they found the next Dre Greenlaw (fifth round pick, 2019)?

49ers are keeping Brandon Allen, 30, who backed up Cincinnati's Joe Burrow for two seasons.

[True Dough]

2. Agreed. I know if I were in the Tampa Bay Buc's front office

I would throw out a line to see what it would take to land Lance. If I'm starting the season with Baker Mayfield as my #1 and unproven Kyle Trask as my backup, I'd be willing to gamble on another prospect with an abundance of talent who might find his way with the right coaching. I think that part is the key: a good quarterbacks coach and a good head coach (and an offensive line that doesn't allow him to get destroyed every game) might be able to turn him around.

[Doc Sportello]

4. Lance hasn't show he's better than Mayfield

Mayfield was runner-up for rookie of the year and has thrown for more than 3000 yards four times, ranking in the top 10 in 2020 while leading the Browns to their first first playoff win in 20 plus years. Lance hasn't done anything to show he's better than Mayfield.

[Auggie]

5. Lance has been hindered by successive injuries. But Mayfield is way better.

Playing for the consistently dysfunctional Browns didn't do Baker Mayfield any favor. I think Mayfield plays above the average -- just needs a team with a good front office (unlike Cleveland) that will support him.

Lance may still blossom. He's strong and very mobile. He's also victim of the salary cap and a soon-to-come fat Nick Bosa contract.

[Doc Sportello]

6. Injury misdirected Mayfield too

His last season with the Browns he played through injury and had a terrible season. But if he hadn't played he would have been criticized for that too. The Bucs aren't good but, if healthy, Mayfield will show what he can do. Picking Lance was simply a mistake. Even when healthy he has never shown he can be a solid starter in the NFL.

[Auggie]

8. Yeah, Lance was a mistake

49ers gamble. Lance didn't pan out. But many other players, in the lower rounds, have been steals.

Browns biggest blunder during the Mayfield years (2019) IMO was trading for Odell Beckham. I said at the time it would set them back years (Cleveland needed another play-making end to complement Myles Garrett).

It has.

[True Dough]

11. And I never made that claim

But Mayfield has been Jekyll and Hyde. You cite some of his stats from impressive stretches. Meanwhile, there have been other periods when he's been a total flop. Plus, he's had his share of injury issues.

I'm not saying Lance will definitely outshine him. But Lance is likely to at least get that opportunity playing behind an inconsistent starter like Baker.

[Best_man23]

7. The Bucs are in Cap Hell right now

They have about $680K in cap space, with a whopping $75M in dead money on their cap for 2023. The Bucs would have to restructure a number of deals just to fit the current contract or get the 49ers to "eat" Lance's cap number this year. Agreeing to carry Lance's contract on their cap in 2023 could be a way for the 49ers to get a higher draft pick from the Bucs (3rd or 4th?) and it gets Lance off their roster.

The other aspect of this is Trey Lance really needs to get to a QB friendly system in order to reestablish his career. Not sure if Tampa Bay would be that place. Were I Lance's agent, I would inquire with the Jacksonville Jaguars to gauge their interest. A season (or two) in Jacksonville under Doug Pederson might get Lance's career back on track. Yes, they have an established franchise QB, but, having Lance on the roster means the dropoff from Trevor Lawrence (should he get injured) is a lot less steep. Moreover, the Jaguars have the cap space (~$18M) to accommodate Lance's current contract.

[Auggie]

9. Jaguars -- great idea!

[True Dough]

10. Good points, Best_man!

But if I were in Lance's shoes, I'd rather go to the Bucs knowing I have a better chance to get on the field with a crappy team rather than run the risk of being stuck on the sidelines for most or all of the season as Lawrence's backup.

[Brother Buzz]

12. 49ers trade quarterback Trey Lance to Cowboys for 4th round pick

49ers trade quarterback Trey Lance to Cowboys for 4th round pick

BY JOSH DUBOW
Updated 11:35 PM PDT, August 25, 2023

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers have traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick less than three years after trading three first-round picks to draft him third overall.

Lance had lost the competition to Sam Darnold to be the backup to Brock Purdy in San Francisco earlier in the week, setting the stage for his departure on Friday just hours before the Niners played their exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Chargers.

"When we told him that he was going to be the three, if he could find another opportunity that was good, we’d allow him to do that, and he did," coach Kyle Shanahan said. "We feel he'll be better for it, and I think we will, too."



https://apnews.com/article/nfl-lance-cowboys-49ers-a52ac31a274a84fc7b166e2a13d952c3