Mike Florio proposes Mac Jones-for-Trey Lance trade between Patriots, 49ers
BOSTON -- Earlier this week, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio caused quite a stir by reporting that Bill Belichick spent part of this offseason "shopping" quarterback Mac Jones to "multiple teams."
Some local reporters have put in the legwork since Florio dropped that nugget, and they indicated that the reporting lies somewhere between inaccurate and false.
Nevertheless, the Florio news machine churns on, and he did some creative thinking on Friday morning to propose a potential change-of-scenario trade for a couple of 2021 first-round picks.
In a post on Pro Football Talk, Florio posited that Trey Lance could be helped by a change of scenery, with Brock Purdy perhaps looking like the starter and with Sam Darnold potentially earning the backup job. Lance has barely played in his two seasons, having thrown just 102 passes and starting four games for the 49ers, who drafted him with the No. 3 overall pick in 2021.
That's where Florio brought Mac Jones into the equation.
"Regarded as a top prospect in the 2021 draft, there surely are teams that believe he can reach his potential in the right spot. And here's a potential transaction that makes plenty of sense. Lance for Mac Jones, straight up," Florio wrote. "The 49ers would get the quarterback many believe Shanahan wanted to take with the third overall pick in 2021. The Patriots would unload a disgruntled player who has alienated coach Bill Belichick by overriding the Stepford Patriot programming."
Florio noted that the two teams obviously have made a high-profile trade involving a quarterback in recent years, with the Patriots sending Jimmy Garoppolo to the Niners during the 2017 season. (The Niners then released backup Brian Hoyer, who immediately signed with the Patriots.)
Whether this particular trade proposal is coming from an informed place or merely an idle thought on a Friday, only Florio knows. Yet for now, all that's certain is that anybody hoping for Mac Jones trade speculation to go away will not have that wish granted any time soon.