Trey Lance is taking on what many top NFL Draft picks don’t expect after just two seasons — a whole new team — but the quarterback is taking the change in stride after the 49ers traded him to the Cowboys on Friday.
“I really tried to not expect anything one way or another, but I can say that when I heard ‘Cowboys,’ I had a big smile on my face,” Lance said. “I was very excited to be here.”
Throughout the 49ers’ preseason, Brock Purdy was the clear pick at starting quarterback and free-agent signing Sam Darnold beat out Lance for the No. 2 job.
“I’m kind of really trying to move on, but yeah, it definitely took some time,” he said. “That conversation obviously wasn’t something I wanted to hear, but that’s the reality of the situation. Nothing but respect and gratitude for everyone there — coaching staff, locker room, athletic training staff, everyone I spent a ton of time with these last few years. Obviously, it was tough, but for me it was trying to figure out what was next and what’s going to happen in the future.”
Dallas’ starter, Dak Prescott, has met Lance before when the young quarterback suffered an ankle injury early last season and Prescott — who had his own problems of a dislocated shoulder and fractured ankle in 2020 — reached out to him.
Lance said he is looking forward to soaking in “everything” from Prescott, who is backed up by Cooper Rush, which makes Lance the third-stringer again.
Lance was expected to have a long career in the Bay Area after the team gave up three first-round picks to the Dolphins to acquire him with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
However, he only played eight games in his two years there, which makes for the fewest a top-five pick has played for the franchise in the common draft era since 1967, excluding the 2023 draft class, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“It’s not how I expected it to go. It’s not how I think a lot of people expected it to go,” Lance said. “But I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think I’m here for a reason. Regardless of what it is, just want to try to find a way to help the team.”
San Francisco got a 2024 fourth-round pick from Dallas in exchange for Lance.
Since packing his bags, Lance has been working to adjust to his new environment.
“It was a little bit surreal for me hearing I was going to come here knowing everything about this historic organization,” Lance said. “Just compared to the 49ers, obviously you think of that as another one of the top-tier, historic organizations, but for me, just very excited to be here. Coach McCarthy and the entire coaching staff, man, nothing but knowledge being in all these meetings. It’s been awesome for me. It’s been fun. Kind of a breath of fresh air to learn a new offense and being around the guys the last two days. I feel like I’ve learned so much just ball.”
McCarthy notably worked with Joe Montana, Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers before joining the Cowboys as their head coach in 2020.