Niners Trey Lance Trade to Falcons? Rumor Triggered by Insider
By all accounts, the Atlanta Falcons plan to move forward with Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback, with former Washington Commanders signal caller Taylor Heinicke the insurance option for coach Arthur Smith.
Even though both quarterbacks sat on the sidelines in the Falcons' 19-3 win against the Miami Dolphins, the plan appears set for the season.
But in an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show" this week, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network threw a curveball by suggesting that the Falcons could be an interesting landing spot if the San Francisco 49ers are willing to trade former first-round pick Trey Lance.
"Just file this [away] ... this is with no insider information ... just looking at all these rosters and these teams ... the Atlanta Falcons, if Ridder's not working ... and you've kind of designed this offense with Bijan Robinson and [Tyler] Allgeier ... and you know how Arthur Smith loves to run the football ...if the 49ers are a little down on Trey Lance and somehow it doesn't work out [with Ridder] in Atlanta, I would mind that marriage," Jeremiah said.
To this point, there's no indication that the 49ers are shopping the former No. 3 overall pick. While there does seem to be a distinct possibility that Lance opens the season as the third-string quarterback behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold, San Francisco has been snake-bitten at the position, so they may feel inclined to have three different options entering 2023.
But while the 49ers aren't going to give Lance away, you do have to wonder if coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch would be willing to cut their losses and trade the quarterback for a conditional mid-round pick.
The problem if Lance spends another year in San Francisco is he may very well go the entire season without seeing the field. That's on top of his final collegiate season at North Dakota State getting moved to the spring -- at which point he was instead preparing for the NFL Draft -- because of COVID-19. Lance sat behind Jimmy Garoppolo in his rookie season with the 49ers. He opened the 2022 campaign as the starting quarterback for the 49ers, but suffered a season-ending right ankle injury in Week 2.
"I still believe in the guy's talent," Jeremiah said. "He just needs to get a chance to play. He hasn't had a chance to play."
The most likely scenario is that Lance will open 2023 with the 49ers, and the Falcons will move forward with Ridder to open the campaign. But with a young core of offensive skill-position talent that includes Robinson, Allgeier, tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Drake London, the Falcons will be a popular destination for veteran quarterbacks looking for a new team next offseason if Ridder underwhelms.
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