According to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport’s report on Friday, the San Francisco 49ers are in the process of trading away quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.
In exchange for Lance, the 49ers will be acquiring a fourth-round pick for the 2024 season, as confirmed by NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero.
Back in the 2021 NFL Draft, the 49ers had traded an impressive three first-round picks to the Miami team to move up and select Lance as the third overall pick. However, recently, the team declared that Lance would be assuming the role of the third-string quarterback on the depth chart. This decision came after a competition for the backup position was won by Sam Darnold, with Brock Purdy also ahead of Lance.
Despite this, head coach Kyle Shanahan expressed his belief that the young quarterback still had the potential to succeed either with the 49ers or possibly with another team in the future.
Lance’s experience with the 49ers has been relatively limited, featuring in just eight games over two years. This is the fewest games played by a top-five pick for the team that they debuted with since the inception of the common draft era in 1967, as revealed by NFL Research. Injuries have played a part in restricting Lance’s opportunities to start for the Niners, including a finger fracture, a knee sprain, and an ankle break that kept him out for the entire 2022 season. These circumstances paved the way for Brock Purdy to take on the role of the current starter.
Lance’s record as a starter stands at 2-2, amassing a total of 797 passing yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions during his tenure with the 49ers.
Now, with the trade to Dallas, Lance is presented with a fresh beginning. The compensation San Francisco will receive for trading away a player once deemed the future of their franchise is only a fraction of the value they invested in acquiring him from Miami.
In Dallas, Lance will find himself in a new setting. The current starting quarterback for the Cowboys remains Dak Prescott, flanked by backup quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Will Grier. Although Lance is anticipated to serve as the third-string signal-caller according to Rapoport, there is room for his development beyond this initial position. At just 23 years old, Lance is offered a chance by the Cowboys at a reasonable price to potentially evolve into the promising talent he was initially projected to be.
Rapoport highlights that Lance’s contract entails a fully guaranteed $6.25 million for the upcoming two seasons, with the possibility of the Cowboys exercising a fifth-year option down the line.
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