The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2023 NFL campaign with a major question at quarterback given last year's success of Brock Purdy and their recent draft investment in Trey Lance.
It seems that question could be answered well before the season starts, though.
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday how San Francisco is fielding calls from teams interested in making a trade for Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Rapoport noted how the 49ers are not initiating the calls and no trade is imminent, but teams around the league believe Purdy will be the franchise's starting signal-caller of the future.
49ers general manager John Lynch recently referred to Purdy as San Francisco's "leader in the clubhouse" pending his recovery from a UCL injury suffered during the NFC championship.
It's worth wondering whether the New England Patriots, specifically, could be among the teams calling Lynch and the Niners about Lance.
After all, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones recently was included in trade speculation as ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio hinted four teams that could be potential trade suitors for Jones. And earlier this month, Florio also suggested a 1-for-1 swap that would result in Lance joining the Patriots and Jones heading to the 49ers, though that probably wouldn't make much sense given Purdy's role in San Francisco. As for the Patriots, Florio theorized how Bill Belichick's trouble against mobile quarterbacks could pique his interest in acquiring Lance.
The speculation came after additional details surfaced about last season's tension between Belichick and Jones.
It's worth noting other reports have since poured cold water on Florio's Jones-related trade speculation, hinting the Patriots have no intention of dealing Jones in a package including Lance or someone else.
Lance was selected 12 picks before New England drafted Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. At the time, there were numerous draft analysts who believed the Patriots could (and should) trade up for the North Dakota State product. Instead, the 49ers made a deal to jump up the draft board and selected Lance.
There's not much NFL tape on Lance given the soon-to-be 23-year-old has been limited to eight games due to injuries. But given the on-field regression of Jones in 2022, along with the tension and trade speculation that stemmed from the recent campaign, it's worth wondering whether the Patriots could be among the teams kicking the tires on Lance.
