NFL Rumors: Bill Belichick’s hot seat, Ravens’ Lamar Jackson replacement, and Lions devastating Raiders

NFL Rumors: Could Ravens replace Lamar Jackson with Trey Lance trade?

At this point, who the hell knows what’s going to happen with Lamar Jackson? The fact of the matter is that the only facts we know are that the Baltimore Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on the quarterback, the 2019 NFL MVP requested a trade, and nothing has moved forward (at least publicly) with the Ravens or with another team that could make an offer.

The reality of the situation, though, is that it’s still very much possible that Lamar Jackson is no longer the Ravens quarterback after this offseason. So where does that leave Baltimore? Tyler Huntley might be a consolation-prize-Pro-Bowler, but the franchise can’t look at his body of work and feel confident that he’s the future. What options does that leave them?

ESPN NFL Draft expert Matt Miller offered a potential solution and one that could have some legs given other situations around the league. Miller floated the idea that, if Jackson left the Ravens, then Baltimore should get on the horn with the 49ers about a Trey Lance trade.

Why is that even remotely feasible to call San Francisco about a former No. 3 overall pick that they traded up to draft?

On Monday, the 49ers named Brock Purdy as the QB1 entering the offseason. Moreover, general manager John Lynch made comments suggesting that a Lance trade wasn’t out of the question. And on top of that, NFL insider Ian Rapoport noted that there is a real chance that, as Lance continues to recover from injury — as does Purdy — he might find himself behind newcomer Sam Darnold on the depth chart entering camp.

If San Francisco is truly believing in Purdy after his performance as a rookie and think Darnold can be a backup, then they are in a position to recoup draft capital by trading Lance, a young quarterback with elite upside. And the Ravens would be the perfect trade partner if Lamar Jackson were to leave.

Jackson departing would net Baltimore, at worst, two first-round picks. That would give them an arsenal of picks to move in order to try and answer the quarterback question moving forward, and a Trey Lance trade would be a consideration in that. That’s especially true considering that the mobility of Lance would thus allow the offense to run similarly but with untapped potential given the limited body of work for the North Dakota State product.

It’s just an idea. But given where the chips could fall, it’s an idea that would be sensible for both the Ravens and 49ers.