NFL Rumors: 49ers' Trey Lance Had 'No Trade Market' Despite Offseason Buzz

Brock Purdy's status as the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback once he recovers from his elbow injury had created questions about Trey Lance's future with the team, but it sounds like the 49ers didn't have many options besides holding onto him.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that Lance didn't garner much interest on the trade market this offseason.

"Here's the thing, there really was never a lot of interest in Trey Lance," Schefter said. "For what they gave up and what they'd get back, which is not very much at all, it doesn't make sense to trade him. There's no trade market, and Kyle Shanahan has said that they didn't have any trade talks with teams. He's not going anywhere right now. He's there."

Earlier this offseason, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the 49ers "received inquiries from several teams" exploring potential trades for Lance. However, San Francisco general manager John Lynch later said that was not the case, telling reporters on April 24, "I think there's a lot of smoke, really. There hasn't been many offers."

The 49ers drafted Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 after trading two additional first-round picks to the Miami Dolphins to move up from the No. 12 spot that year. Unfortunately, he has yet to live up to his draft status, appearing in six games as a rookie and suffering a broken ankle two games into the 2022 season.

Purdy eventually took over as the starter later in the year and helped lead San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game, where he suffered a torn UCL on the team's opening drive. Schefter told McAfee that the 49ers are "optimistic" that he'd be under center for the team's 2023 season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Purdy's emergence has overshadowed Lance's once-promising future with the 49ers. The team also signed Sam Darnold to add an experienced backup, so there's a chance the 23-year-old would be relegated to a third-stringer.

Lance's athleticism had set him apart from other quarterbacks in the 2021 class, but it doesn't look like he'll get a chance to showcase those skills in San Francisco if Purdy remains healthy and continues to produce like he did last year. It remains to be seen if another team will be able to convince the 49ers to trade him away and allow him to take his talents elsewhere.