Toucher & Rich: Should the Patriots consider Trey Lance for 2024? Debating the value and timing of pursuing the quarterback
During this morning’s Toucher & Rich radio program, Jeff Howe from theAthletic.com was asked whether the New England Patriots should consider pursuing Trey Lance. Howe suggests that if the Patriots could acquire him for a low draft pick like a fifth or sixth-round selection, it might be worthwhile, although he doubts the Patriots will actually pursue this option. He mentions that in discussions with around ten teams, opinions on Lance’s trade value vary. Some believe he’s worth a higher pick (possibly a third-round or even a second-round), while others see minimal trade value, perhaps as low as a sixth-round pick.
Jeff Howe also discussed the practical implications of bringing Lance into the Patriots’ roster. He explains that given the timing, Lance would likely join the team when they’re transitioning to regular-season mode. This means he wouldn’t have much time to learn the team’s offense and would likely be the third-string quarterback. In this role, he’d receive fewer practice reps, limiting his development. Howe suggests that acquiring Lance now could be a move to accelerate the evaluation process for the 2024 season, the final year of Lance’s contract. However, given his lack of familiarity with the offense and limited practice time, any team acquiring him would likely be looking towards his potential in 2024 rather than immediate impact.
TRANSCRIPT:
Rich: All right, Jeff, let’s get it over with. Should the Patriots go after him for any reason?
Jeff Howe: I mean, if you’re talking like a fifth or sixth-round pick and that’s what you can give up, then yes, I think it’s worth it. I would be surprised if they did. Again, I’m not sure if they were going to be interested. But, you know, again, I talked to almost ten teams yesterday about Lance and it was, you know, some I think it was like two or three, three things said that he’d be worth at least a third-round pick, maybe even a second, maybe a third in a later pick. But then the rest of them were just like, well, yeah, I mean, there’s minimal trade value, maybe maybe a six. But then you kind of look at the next part of it. If you bring him in right now, look at the Patriots, for example. They’re going to Nashville today. By the time they get back to Foxboro, they’re going to be getting into regular-season mode, which means you bring in Trey Lance. He is next week, as of next week, hypothetically, he’s your number three quarterback. You could sit there and say that he is better than Bailey Zappe. You could even argue that he’s better than Mac Jones. I’m sure many people would want to do that. But the fact of the matter is he’s not going to know the offense. It’s going to take time for him to develop. And when you’re in regular season mode from a team perspective, your number three quarterback is not getting a whole lot of reps. It’s like probably single digits per practice. So if you bring him in now, it’s really a chance to accelerate your evaluation for 2024, which is the final year of his contract. Now, of course, he had injuries of poor performance ahead of him on the depth chart. Maybe he gets a chance to play. But practically speaking, you know, anybody who tries to acquire him right now is probably looking at 2024.
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