Proposed Draft-Day Trade Sends Former First Round Quarterback to Buccaneers
Draft-day is officially upon us and come 8:00 pm ET the 2023 NFL Draft will officially be underway with the Carolina Panthers on the clock.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a number of holes and issues to address during this year's draft following the departure of many key pieces, including Tom Brady. The biggest question mark surrounding the Buccaneers has been what the plan is at quarterback.
The Bucs addressed some of those questions after they signed veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year deal to join Kyle Trask in the team's QB room. The coaching staff and front office have been adamant that they plan to enter the offseason with the two quarterbacks they have on roster, but they also haven't ruled out adding a third quarterback.
READ MORE: Bruce Arians Comments on QB Competition Between Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield
One of the options is to draft a quarterback in the draft, but according to Alex Kay of Bleacher Report, the Bucs could land a quarterback in the draft, but it would be through trade rather than actually drafting the player.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are stuck between a rock and a hard place in the wake of Tom Brady's retirement. Having performed well enough to make the playoffs and earn the No. 19 overall pick, the Bucs have little ability to replace the future Hall of Famer without a trade.
That's where the San Francisco 49ers come in, as they have a talent in Trey Lance who could still develop into one of the league's bright young stars despite a rocky start to his career. His starting role seems to have been usurped by Brock Purdy, a development that seems to have rendered Lance expendable for the right price.
The Buccaneers have been a suggested landing spot for Lance ever since Purdy broke out as his replacement. ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote back in January that Tampa should be reaching out to San Francisco, saying: "Get [Lance] healthy, pair him with the right offensive coordinator and reap the benefits of the development work the Niners did with him."
Offering the No. 50 overall pick this year and a conditional first-rounder next year—which could be converted to a second-rounder based on Lance's playing time in 2023—may ultimately be enough to get the Niners to move on from the quarterback they gave up so much to acquire.
Brock Purdy has pretty much been crowned the 49ers starting quarterback next season by the majority of the NFL and it is assumed that they would move on from Trey Lance. The 49ers have fielded inquiries from teams regarding the availability of Lance, but have not made the call themselves.
READ MORE: Position Odds Released for the Buccaneers’ First Round Pick
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could get this trade done, and it appears that the price isn't all that high. They could sure up their QB room with just a couple of picks and the ceiling that is above Lance could eventually emerge following his limited playing time as a backup and most recent injury that knocked him out for the whole 2022 season.
Lance may not be ready to start right away due to his rehabilitation from injury, but slotting him behind Trask and/or Mayfield will allow him to progress properly and maybe eventually take over the starter role deeper into the season if either of the aforementioned fail to be successful.
Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2023 offseason.
