The Indianapolis Colts are one team that a lot of people are keeping an eye on heading into the 2023 NFL Draft. Indianapolis is one of the teams that are squarely in the mix for a quarterback, but they may not be in a position to select one despite having the No. 4 overall pick.
After the Carolina Panthers made a trade with the Chicago Bears to acquire the No. 1 overall pick, the Colts were left in a tough spot. That meant they would be getting, at best, the No. 3 rated quarterback as the Panthers and Houston Texans, who are picking second, are both expected to select signal callers.
The Arizona Cardinals, who are picking No. 3, don’t need a quarterback but will be open for business should a team want to move up. That would be a crushing blow to the Colts, who may be better off looking elsewhere to address their quarterback conundrum.
Could they fill the void via trade? Thus far, the Colts are the only franchise to even say they would consider making a move for Lamar Jackson. That kind of move would certainly boost the offense but would be costly. Jackson is looking for the most guaranteed money ever and because of the non-exclusive franchise tag, Indianapolis would have to send two first-round picks to the Baltimore Ravens.
If the Colts want a little cheaper option, they could make a call to the San Francisco 49ers and inquire about Trey Lance. Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, looks to have already lost the starting job to Brock Purdy.
General manager John Lynch has said that Purdy is the leader in the clubhouse to be the starter this season. That leaves Lance in a tough spot, as the 49ers could be better off cutting bait now and getting as much value in return for him as possible.
With Sam Darnold on the roster, the 49ers have a capable backup in case Purdy cannot get on the field in Week 1. But, by announcing that Purdy is the starter, the 49ers have also negated some leverage in trade talks.
What could a trade between the Colts and the 49ers look like? Indianapolis could offer a third (No. 79) and a fifth (No. 162) round pick to San Francisco in exchange for Lance.
The Colts would have their potential quarterback of the future and someone new head coach Shane Steichen could get the most out of. After the work that he did with Jalen Hurts the last two seasons, he should be able to find success coaching Lance, who has a similar skill set.
The 49ers aren’t ever going to recoup the value they traded away for the chance to select Lance, but this is better than nothing. It gives them two more chances to add some more depth at positions of need in the draft and cements the fact that Purdy is their franchise quarterback going forward.
