Less than three years after acquiring quarterback Trey Lance through the trade of three first-round picks, the San Francisco 49ers have moved him to the Dallas Cowboys.
According to a source with knowledge of the negotiations, the Cowboys will give San Francisco a fourth-round pick in exchange for the third-overall pick in the 2021 draft. The speaker requested anonymity since the accord hasn’t been made public.
The trade was initially reported by ESPN.
Earlier in the week, Lance had lost the race to replace Brock Purdy as Brock’s backup in San Francisco to San Darnold, which prepared the ground for his departure.
Following the significant investment the Niners made in the assumption that Lance would develop into a franchise quarterback, the decision is a surprising reversal.
In 2021, San Francisco moved up from No. 12 to select the unproven Lance third overall after trading three first-round picks and a third-round pick to Miami.
Prior to being selected by the Niners, Lance started just 17 games at FCS-level North Dakota State, thus he never had a great opportunity to get the experience he would have required in the NFL.
Dallas Cowboys buy Trey Lance at a discount
As was already mentioned, Dallas only received a fourth-round pick in exchange for Lance in the deal with San Francisco. Jerry Jones and company, the owner, sign him despite only paying him $6.25 million over the next two seasons.
After Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, Lance will likely start for Dallas as a result of this move.
Having said that, the Cowboys’ strategy was to purchase low. In the worst case scenario, Dallas would only have a fourth-round pick if Lance doesn’t work out. The best-case scenario is that under offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy, he becomes a quarterback capable of starting.
Nobody has contested Lance’s athletic prowess or arm skill. It was all about his being really raw after leaving a small school, instead. He now has the opportunity to train under a real pro in Prescott going forward. Dallas fans couldn’t have asked for much more.
