3 Trey Lance trade destinations that make sense in 2023
3. Denver Broncos
AFC West. . player. 45. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Denver Broncos. 3
So we’ve looked at a couple of teams that have clear connections to the San Francisco 49ers. The guys in Houston and Tennessee were in the room when the 49ers made the massive move up the board to get Trey Lance in that 2021 NFL Draft. They were in the room when the vision was cast about Trey Lance being the future of the franchise.
The Denver Broncos have a new captain at the helm, and his name is Sean Payton. Payton has taken a particular interest in the quarterback prospects over the last handful of years because, for a while, he and the Saints were having to face the idea of life after Drew Brees. Of course, their pre-draft plans never materialized into any massive quarterback news or trades up the board, but Payton certainly had guys he liked in each respective NFL Draft class.
It appears as though Trey Lance was one of those guys he liked in 2021…
Some other first-rounders the Saints were high on, in order of their selection:
— Jeff Duncan (@JeffDuncan_) April 30, 2021
QB Trey Lance
OT Penei Sewell
WR DeVonta Smith
WR Jaylen Waddle
CB Jaycee Horn
CB Pat Surtain
QB Mac Jones
Rumors have emerged over the last couple of years that Denver Broncos GM George Paton also really liked Lance coming out and that he was the team’s QB1 that year (realistically available to them, of course) and they decided to pass on Justin Fields over Pat Surtain II when their time to pick came at no. 9 overall.
If both Payton and Paton liked Trey Lance coming out, would they trade from their little remaining NFL Draft capital in 2023 to land him two years into his NFL career? It’s not impossible, though it’s possible the Broncos are just not in the market for any further substantial investments at QB.
Sean Payton sort of raved about the team’s acquisition of free agent QB Jarrett Stidham, saying they believe he could be a starter in the NFL at some point. Even with a high opinion of Stidham, it might make sense for Payton to set himself up with a couple of young QBs in case things do go haywire with Russell Wilson in 2023 after the worst season of Wilson’s career in 2022.