Former 49ers, Cowboys QB Trey Lance signing with AFC Super Bowl contender

Trey Lance is once again on the move. Lance, a former No. 3 overall pick who spent the past two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys after being traded by the San Francisco 49ers, has reached an agreement on a one-year, $6.2 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.

In Los Angeles, the 24-year-old Lance will back up Justin Herbert, a fellow former first-round pick who is entering his sixth season as the team's starting quarterback. The Chargers' quarterback room also includes Taylor Heinicke, a 32-year-old veteran who is entering his second season with Los Angeles.

Lance made just four starts in two seasons with the 49ers before he was dealt to the Cowboys in late August of 2023 in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick. The 49ers used that pick to select Malik Mustapha, who made 12 starts at safety during his rookie season.

Named the 49ers' starting quarterback heading into the 2022 regular season, Lance was deemed expendable by the 49ers after then-rookie Brock Purdy enjoyed immediate success after replacing Lance (who suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season) and Jimmy Garoppolo (who went down with an injury in Week 13) in the starting lineup in Week 14 of that season.

Lance did not play in a single regular season game in 2023, his first season with the Cowboys. Last year, Lance briefly saw time during the Cowboys' Week 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, going 4 of 6 passing for 21 yards with an interception. He made his fifth career start in Week 18, completing 20 of his 34 pass attempts for 244 yards in a 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders.

While he hasn't received a ton of regular season snaps, Lance has gotten an extensive amount of work in preseason games. He received the majority of the Cowboys' reps last preseason, going 73 of 113 passing for 662 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions.

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"Trying to get as much as I can with him," then-Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said last summer when asked about Lance's preseason workload. "You want to see him running the offense at a high level. The footwork and some of the things we're asking him to do conceptually are new. We just need work. We just need as much time as we can. I know I say that every time I talk about him, but he's making good progress. He's definitely wired the right way. He's a great athlete. Just a lot of work to do."

While his career hasn't gotten off to the best of starts, Lance will get another opportunity to show what he can with the Chargers while getting a chance to work with one of the best quarterbacks in football.

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