Hot on the heels of NFL insider Ian Rapoport reporting that the San Francisco 49ers have been fielding calls about Trey Lance ahead of next week's draft, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports that the Niners and Minnesota Vikings discussed the third-year quarterback at the NFL Scouting Combine.
It's worth noting that Rapoport's report clearly stated that teams were calling the 49ers about Lance. It's not San Francisco reaching out to other organizations.
RELATED 49ers reportedly fielding calls on Trey Lance
"Per a league source, the two teams (49ers and Vikings) talked about Trey Lance," Florio wrote of the Combine discussions. "The source doesn't know whether that's currently happening. The Vikings have since restructured the Cousins contract. They'd take a significant cap hit ($38 million) if the Vikings trade Cousins before June 1."
The 49ers and Vikings talked Trey Lance at the Scouting Combine. https://t.co/98G0w1JLzW
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 19, 2023
Earlier this month, Florio reported that there was a lot of "chatter" at the NFL Scouting Combine surrounding quarterback Kirk Cousins being traded to the 49ers.
"Apparently, at the scouting combine, there was some chatter, there was some noise among people within the broader league structure, not media, but people in the league, about Cousins being traded to the 49ers," Florio said on Pro Football Talk Live. "That was a hot topic at one point in Indianapolis."
It's unclear if the Cousins and Lance discussions were related. It is possible, though. Of course, that is just speculation at this point, and it's unknown how interested the 49ers were in dealing the former No. 3 overall pick. While it's plausible, to assume that the team is actively shopping Lance right now is premature. Teams may simply be doing their due diligence, knowing San Francisco thinks highly of Brock Purdy.
Of course, Florio is more than willing to assume the 49ers seek to cut their ties with the quarterback.
"It's now obvious that the 49ers are looking to move on," Florio wrote. "Previously, G.M. John Lynch didn't close the door on a trade. ... [Lance] needs a fresh start. The real question is how much will the 49ers want for him? They overvalued Jimmy Garoppolo, which made it impossible to trade him."
Offseason shoulder surgery last year threw a wrench into the 49ers' plans to trade Garoppolo. Instead, the quarterback returned to the Niners on a restructured one-year deal before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason.
"Will the 49ers look to save a little face, given the huge investment they made to get Lance (three first-round picks and a third-round selection)?" Florio continued. "Or will they take any criticism in stride, pointing out that they also got their current starter, Brock Purdy, with the last pick in the 2022 draft?"
Purdy isn't expected to fully recover from the March 10 surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) tear in his right elbow until around September. Right now, the plan is to have Lance and newcomer Sam Darnold compete to be the Week 1 starter, should Purdy not be ready to go.
