In the aftermath of the Trey Lance trade that sent the disappointing quarterback from the San Francisco 49ers to the Dallas Cowboys, reports swirled that there were other teams involved in the negotiations.
According to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens both “had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance.”
The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance.
In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources.
Most of the early discussions about a trade involved a 6th rounder that…— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 26, 2023
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta refuted that notion on Friday, saying that it didn’t happen and taking a jab at Russini’s reporting.
“I would say that’s just bad reporting,” DeCosta said Friday, via Kyle Phoenix Barber of Baltimore Beatdown. “If somebody calls you and asks if you’re interested in a player and you say ‘no’ does that mean you’re interested in that player? You know, it’s just one of those things. I think there’s a Latin term, ‘Cui bono?’ — who does it benefit? … We’ve got good quarterbacks. We love our quarterbacks. We weren’t looking to add any quarterbacks at all this training camp. That’s what I would say on that.”
Eric DeCosta on the report of the Ravens being interested in QB Trey Lance:
"I would say that's just bad reporting. If somebody calls you and asks if you're interested in a player and you say 'no' does that mean you're interested in that player?"
— Kyle Phoenix (@KylePBarber) September 1, 2023
DeCosta isn’t the only GM to refute the report. Lions general manager Brad Holmes also publically denied that his team had “shown interest” as Russini said.
“The Trey Lance thing, in particular, I never reached out. I never inquired about the player or anything,” Holmes said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire. “I think the report was that us and some other teams were like, in that group of being interested. But I never actively pursued the player. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the reports.”
It’s entirely possible that both GMs simply don’t want their current quarterbacks thinking about how they might have kicked the tires on another signal-caller. But it’s also not that common to see GMs outright refute a report like that rather than just let it be what it is.
For what it’s worth, Bills GM Brandon Beane did confirm that he reached out to the 49ers about Lance, so at least there’s that.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.