Cowboys' trade for Trey Lance looks even worse after expected decision

Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones repeatedly defended his decision to acquire quarterback Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers for a 2024 fourth-round draft pick in late August 2023.

This was long before the Cowboys signed starting signal-caller Dak Prescott to a four-year contract extension reportedly worth $240M with $231M guaranteed this past September. 

The Lance deal looks even worse for the Cowboys after team chief operating officer and co-owner Stephen Jones confirmed expected news regarding the 24-year-old's future. 

"We took a shot at Trey and wanted to do that," Stephen Jones recently told David Moore of The Dallas Morning News. "We think the world of Trey. But us having Dak signed up for the long-term, I think he’s probably going to be looking for something different."

The 49ers made Lance the third overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, and he spent the majority of his rookie season serving as a backup behind veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. Lance later went down with a serious ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season, lost his starting job to Brock Purdy and had been relegated to third on San Francisco's depth chart when Jerry Jones traded for the young quarterback. 

Lance didn't take a meaningful snap for the Cowboys during the 2023 season and then made just one start this past campaign even though the previously mentioned Prescott suffered what became a season-ending hamstring injury back in Week 9. In a 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders on Jan. 5, Lance completed 20-of-34 passes for 244 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 26 yards in that defeat. 

Lance is on track to reach free agency when the new league year opens on March 12. 

Stephen Jones acknowledged that new Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer understandably wants to find a project for the future during the 2025 draft. 

"I don’t know where that’s going to be," Jones said about when Dallas could land a quarterback in the upcoming player-selection process. 

Even back in the summer of 2023, numerous members of the football community accused Jerry Jones of overpaying for Lance. It's now safe to say Dallas would've been better off using the 2024 fourth-round pick on somebody who presumably would be staying on the roster through at least this offseason.