49ers Interested in Signing Tom Brady; Commanders Trade For Trey Lance?

The Washington Commanders need a quarterback. And the San Francisco 49ers could be looking to trade Trey Lance.

The San Francisco 49ers are celebrating after their big Wild Card win against the Seattle Seahawks over the weekend.

Arguably, the 49ers have had one of the most peculiar quarterback situations in recent memory. After trading up to draft Trey Lance with the third overall pick in 2021, he has made just four starts for the team.

After tearing his ACL in Week 2 this season, the 49ers moved towards Jimmy Garoppolo, who also suffered a season-ending injury, which put Brock Purdy under center.

Purdy, the last pick in this year's draft, has looked nothing like that. He's overperformed in every way, winning each of his first six starts including this weekend's playoff victory.

Purdy completed 18 of 30 passes for 332 yards and scored four total touchdowns, setting a rookie record for a playoff game.

There's a good chance that Purdy could be given the green light to be the 2023 starter, especially if the 49ers win another playoff game or two.

According to NFL Network, the Niners are also linked to Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who is set to hit free agency this spring. Tampa has limped into the postseason at 8-9, and Brady could want to play for San Francisco, his hometown team.

With both of those options linked to the Niners for next season, the chances of Lance being the 2023 starter in San Francisco is slipping.

That could behoove a quarterback-needy team, like the Washington Commanders, to trade for him.

The Commanders will likely part ways with Carson Wentz and his $28 million cap hit this offseason. And Taylor Heinicke's chances of re-signing aren't likely after the team benched him two weeks before the end of the season. Rookie Sam Howell has the inside track to start, but he needs someone to challenge him for that spot. Lance could be the perfect adversary in a quarterback competition with his upside.

The Commanders may decide not to gamble again on a North Dakota State quarterback, but there are enough differences between Lance and Wentz that make this time around a bit different.

Lance also won't have a huge price tag on him as a third-year player. While the draft capital to acquire him may be higher than other options, the Commanders can easily part ways with Lance after this season or next if the experiment doesn't work out. And, if it does, the Commanders could exercise a fifth-year option for him and finally have their quarterback of the future.

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