Throughout the offseason, it has been pretty clear that Brock Purdy is the quarterback of the future for the San Francisco 49ers, which left former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance in an awkward position. Many thought that he could potentially get traded before the start of the season, which is exactly what came to fruition on Friday.
Lance hasn’t had all that many opportunities to thrive thus far in his NFL career, only starting four games in his first two years in San Francisco. Despite this, one team decided to take a chance on him in a trade, and it is certainly not a team that many were expecting.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news on Friday that the 49ers were trading Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a mid-round draft pick.
Trade: 49ers are sending their former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a mid-round, per sources. Lance now gets a fresh start in Dallas. pic.twitter.com/UxKNpljktv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2023
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero confirmed the exact details of the trade, adding that the 49ers will receive a 2024 fourth-round pick in return for Lance.
Compensation update: The #Cowboys are trading a 2024 fourth-round pick to the #49ers for QB Trey Lance, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 25, 2023
The Cowboys obviously have Dak Prescott as their undisputed starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, which makes this trade confusing for many fans.
Giving up a fourth-round pick for Trey Lance is nothing. Free look at a QB who has some rare traits.
I am shocked the Cowboys made this trade, but I am for it.
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 25, 2023
Trey Lance traded to the Cowboys, thank GOD!!! pic.twitter.com/caCXRKoocF
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) August 25, 2023
National media all week: “Is Trey Lance one of the biggest busts in recent NFL history?”
National media on Monday: “Is Dak Prescott going to be pushed by Trey Lance now that the Cowboys have traded for him?”
😂
— Ernie The Cowboys Fan (@es3_09) August 25, 2023
Updated #Cowboys QB room:
– Dak Prescott
– Trey Lance
– Cooper Rush
– Will Grier pic.twitter.com/jfcxZ9RaBf— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) August 25, 2023
TREY LANCE TO THE COWBOYS 🚨 (per @AdamSchefter, via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/NH0kDCcsxi
— Overtime (@overtime) August 25, 2023
Cooper Rush was just fine as the backup.
This Trey Lance trade tells us a lot about how the Cowboys are going to approach evaluating what they truly have in Dak Prescott over the next two seasons. pic.twitter.com/oRzKw2J2qE
— Michael Bier (@MichaelJBier) August 25, 2023
For the 49ers, it has to be disappointing to only be getting a fourth-round pick for a player in Lance that they once traded up significantly to get. San Francisco famously traded three first-round picks and a third-round pick to draft Lance.
However, they now get a clean break and there is no longer any speculation or debate on who is the 49ers quarterback of the future. That designation now firmly belongs to Brock Purdy.
As for the Cowboys, they will get a player in Lance who hasn’t really gotten a chance to show much in the NFL. And it is certainly possible that he may be able to revive his career sitting behind Dak Prescott for the next couple of seasons.
