A lot can change in over two years in the NFL. For Trey Lance, he saw himself go from being a quarterback at North Dakota State to being selected third overall by the San Francisco 49ers to be the face of the franchise. He didn't start at all in 2021, instead sitting behind Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. In 2022, he logged just two starts, one a bad outing in rainy Chicago against the Bears and in Week 2, where he broke his leg against the Seattle Seahawks.
This offseason, the 49ers had a tough decision to make about their quarterback depth chart. Brock Purdy, who led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game last year after filling in for Garoppolo, who broke his foot late in the season, was expected to be the starter once he was cleared from an elbow injury. With that, Lance had to compete with veteran Sam Darnold for the backup job.
On Wednesday, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that Darnold has won the backup quarterback job, and the 49ers will now explore their options with Lance.
When looking at "explore options," one of them has to be a trade. After all, the team did reportedly receive interest from teams earlier this offseason. If that is indeed the case, here are three destinations for Lance.
Trey Lance trade destinations after 49ers make Darnold QB2, No. 3: Minnesota Vikings
One team that has made sense for quite some time is the Minnesota Vikings, due in part to the uncertain future of Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings have made a plethora of moves this offseason, some of them being the parting of ways with mainstays on the team, such as wide receiver Adam Thielen, linebacker Eric Kendricks, and running back Dalvin Cook. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell are building the team in their image.
For Cousins, he is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season. This offseason, there were no talks about an extension to keep Cousins around past this campaign. It would make sense for the team to look for a potential replacement option.
Lance is under contract for the next two seasons at minimum if a team doesn't pick up his fifth-year option. The cost to get Lance wouldn't be much for the Vikings, who can have him in the organization, study the playbook, and eventually determine via practices if he can be a viable replacement option.
Not to mention, Rapoport name-dropped the Vikings as a landing spot that "makes sense."
Trey Lance trade destinations after 49ers make Darnold QB2, No. 2: Denver Broncos
What if Russell Wilson doesn't cook in Denver for the second year in a row? Well, that is going to cause the Broncos to look for his eventual replacement.
Last year, the Broncos were confident that they finally found the solution to the quarterback problem they've had since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50. They acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks and traded away a huge package of high draft picks and players. Before the season even started, they signed Wilson to a five-year, $242.6 million contract extension. Talk about confidence. Well, that decision blew up in their face in their first year.
Wilson looked lost and like a shell of his former self in Denver. Yes, Nathaniel Hackett's play-calling and the play of the offensive line didn't help matters. But considering the contract the team gave him, there was going to be considerable blame placed on him.
Through 15 starts, Wilson threw for 3,524 yards, 16 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 60.5 percent of his passes, while running for 277 yards and three touchdowns on 55 carries. Wilson was sacked 55 times for a loss of 368 yards, both of which were league-highs.
The Broncos brought in a proven head coach this offseason by acquiring Sean Payton from the New Orleans Saints. If there is one thing that Payton knows, it's how to get the most out of his players on offense. But what if it doesn't work with Wilson? Well, it would be best if they had a contingency plan, whether that's this year or next. Lance should be the player they target.
Trey Lance trade destinations after 49ers make Darnold QB2, No. 1: Las Vegas Raiders
Would this be the most hilarious possibility? Yes, it would. But, it also does make sense.
The Las Vegas Raiders introduced their new regime of head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Even though they signed Derek Carr to a contract extension, they released him after the season. Their solution? Sign Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year, $72.8 million contract. That move wasn't shocking whatsoever, considering McDaniels was Garoppolo's offensive coordinator during their time with the New England Patriots.
Garoppolo isn't exactly a sure thing, as he has dealt with a variety of injuries throughout his career. Just last year, he broke his foot, and he underwent surgery after signing his contract with the Raiders. Before that, he missed time in 2021 due to a calf strain, and a torn UCL and a fracture in his right thumb but played through a shoulder sprain in the playoffs that year.
Behind Garoppolo is Brian Hoyer, a quarterback for the Patriots during McDaniels' time as an offensive coordinator. As for the third string, they have Aidan O'Connell, a fourth-round draft pick out of Purdue who has played quite well this preseason.
The Raiders aren't expected by many to be a competitive team that will make it to the playoffs. After all, they are in a tough AFC West division. With the team in the running to potentially land a top pick to get a quarterback like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, it wouldn't hurt to have some options this upcoming season, and Lance wouldn't cost much. Plus it would help to see if he can be the answer if they fall out of the running for a top overall pick.