It is anyone’s guess as to what the future may hold for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance. The No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft has had a rapid fall from grace with the team, going from their franchise savoir to an afterthought in a very short period of time.

At this time last year, Trey Lance was preparing to take over the starting quarterback job from Jimmy Garoppolo. After sitting behind him as a rookie and having a special package of plays installed for him, he was in line to be the starter in Year 2.

That was a spot he held for less than six quarters. In Week 2 of the season, he suffered a season-ending ankle injury. The 49ers called upon Garoppolo to be the starter again until he suffered an injury of his own.

Mr. Irrelvant in the 2022 NFL Draft, Brock Purdy, was thrust into the starting lineup and the rest of history. He is now the franchise quarterback, as he led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. There, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in part because Purdy suffered an elbow injury.

Now healthy and back in the lineup, Purdy is locked in as the starter. Somewhat shockingly, the team announced that his backup would be Sam Darnold, not Trey Lance. That has led to speculation about what the 49ers could do with their now third-string signal caller.

While 49ers general manager John Lynch has said Trey Lance isn’t going anywhere, trade rumors have persisted. One team that could become a suitor for the North Dakota State product, in the opinion of Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports, is the New England Patriots.

“Do the 49ers actively want to move him? Not necessarily. But would they? We already have evidence of that, with San Francisco reportedly fielding calls and even directly discussing a potential trade with the Vikings this offseason. At 23, with first-round tools, Lance obviously remains a high-upside project at a critical position. But Kyle Shanahan is already comfortable with surprise standout Brock Purdy, 23, and just named Sam Darnold the team’s backup QB.”

In need of a fresh start, New England would be an intriguing landing spot for Trey Lance. Patriots’ offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien has been calling a lot of RPOs this offseason and that is a system in which he could thrive in given his skill set.

At this point in time, reps and experience is what Trey Lance needs. The 49ers aren’t going to be able to provide him with that as the No. 3 quarterback, so getting traded would be in his best interest.