If you've been listening to everything the Detroit Lions have been saying and watching what they've been doing, it's pretty hard to come away thinking the Lions see much of a future with Hendon Hooker. 
With that in mind, the search for a new backup quarterback or potentially even the Lions quarterback of the future is on. One guy that immediately comes to mind for multiple reasons is Cowboys quarterback and former third-overall pick Trey Lance. Here's why:
The real simple first reason is that the Lions have hired Iowa State assistant head coach Tyler Roehl to join their coaching staff as an offensive assistant. Previous to Roehl's time at Iowa State, he was the offensive coordinator at North Dakota State.
More specifically, he was Lance's offensive coordinator there for three seasons and the duo won two FCS National Championships together. Roehl helped Lance play at his best and get drafted third overall. He, along with three former NFL quarterbacks in Mark Brunell, Bruce Gradkowski, Marques Tuiasosopo, and John Morton, and Dan Campbell, who helped rebuild Jared Goff, that is one hell of a support system for a young player.
They could get Lance back to where he can at least be a pretty solid backup and maybe more. This guy is still just 24-years-old. It's not over for him.
The other reason is that the Lions were reportedly interested in trading for Lance not too long ago. The Athletic's Diana Russni reported that the Lions were one of the teams that wanted in on Lance when the 49ers were trading him in September of 2023. Brad Holmes later said that he never called the 49ers, but never disputed whether or not the Lions were interested. To be fair, the report did not say the Lions called, it just said they showed interest.
“The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance,” Russini tweeted on Saturday morning. “In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources."
Now Lance is heading into free agency and the Lions could be on the lookout for a young quarterback they can try to mold. You can either draft one or you can sign one at an extremely cheap rate. Lance falls into that second category. He's projected to get a one-year deal worth $4 million. That is a very cheap investment to make.
