While Trey Lance is now a member of the Dallas Cowboys, when a high-profile player gets traded, it’s often that you’ll hear about the team(s) they didn’t get traded to. That, of course, creates a game of “what if” and it’s really anyone’s guess about how far down the line x team got to acquiring x player.
But if you’re the Detroit Lions and you already have three quarterbacks—Jared Goff, Teddy Bridgewater and Hendon Hooker—on your roster, that type of speculation isn’t something you want flying around your football team. And it didn’t take long for general manager Brad Holmes to refute the notion that the Lions had any interest in acquiring the former No. 3 overall pick.
“The Trey Lance thing, in particular, I never reached out. I never inquired about the player or anything,” Holmes said, via USA Today’s Lions Wire.
This was in response to a report from The Athletic’s Diana Russini, who said that the Lions showed “interest” in Lance, in addition to teams like the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens, who had conversations with the 49ers about a potential trade. While Russini didn’t further divulge any details about the Lions showing interest, Holmes seemingly wanted to make it very clear that wasn’t the case.
The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance.
In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources.
Most of the early discussions about a trade involved a 6th rounder that…— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) August 26, 2023
“I think the report was that us and some other teams were like, in that group of being interested.” Holmes later added. “But I never actively pursued the player. I can’t speak to the accuracy of the reports.”
This is usually the type of GM-speak you see from a team that was linked to a player it didn’t end up acquiring, especially at a premium position like quarterback. Regardless of whether the Lions were actually interested in Lance or not, he now has a chance to rejuvenate his career in Dallas. It remains to be seen if he can live up to the hype.
