The Dallas Cowboys took a chance and traded for failed 49ers’ first-rounder Trey Lance in 2023, giving up a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for the talented but inexperienced signal caller. At the time, the trade blindsided Cowboys QB Dak Prescott. But now, nearly two years later, Prescott received the big-money deal he was after and Dallas is joining San Francisco in giving up on Lance.
“We took a shot at Trey and wanted to do that… We think the world of Trey. But us having Dak signed up for the long term, I think [Lance is] probably going to be looking for something different,” Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones told The Dallas Morning News, explaining that he doesn’t expect the 24-year-old passer to be back with the team.
Through no fault of his own, Lance has now cost teams as many draft picks (five) as he has touchdown passes in the NFL (five). Back in 2021, the 49ers moved up from the 12th pick in the draft to the third spot, which had been occupied by the Miami Dolphins, in order to draft Lance. The move cost San Francisco three first-round picks (in 2021, 2022 and 2023) as well as a third-round selection in 2022.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan ultimately admitted the trade up for Lance was a mistake in retrospect. The 49ers decided to pull the plug on Lance in 2023, sending the signal caller to Dallas in exchange for a fourth-round selection – the fifth draft pick traded for the opportunity to roster Lance.
The Cowboys are ending their Trey Lance Experiment
Although Stephen Jones has insisted that he has no remorse over the Lance trade, the Cowboys chose not to pick up the quarterback’s fifth-year option, making him a free agent this offseason. Even when Prescott went down with a season-ending injury in 2024, Cowboys’ coach Mike McCarthy decided against starting Lance, sticking with Cooper Rush under center instead.
Dallas finally gave Lance a start in the season finale, long after the team had been eliminated from playoff contention. He failed to account for a touchdown through the air or on the ground in his sole start of the 2024 season, as the Cowboys lost 23-19 to the Washington Commanders in Week 18.
With big money invested in Prescott and Lamb, Dallas has repeatedly warned of a quiet offseason. The Cowboys are 26th in the league in available cap space for 2025. The situation has Jones looking to the draft for Prescott’s next backup.
“You know, I think one of our goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft… I don’t know where that’s going to be,” Jones admitted via The Dallas Morning News. “It seems like all the quarterbacks, even guys we have in the fourth round, go in the first. They always go so much higher than what you think,” Jones added.
