49ers trade Trey Lance to NFC rival

Dec 19, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) smiles after defeating the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers were able to find a trade partner for Trey Lance, and they are sending him to one of their longtime NFC rivals.

The Niners on Friday traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys. They got back a fourth-round pick in return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

Though the Niners traded two future first-round picks, a third-round pick, and swapped first-round picks in 2021 to draft Lance, getting a fourth-round pick back is actually a pretty good return for San Francisco.

Lance entered last season as the team’s starting quarterback but got hurt in Week 2. Due to an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy eventually became the team’s starter and proved to be their QB1. Over the offseason, San Francisco also signed Sam Darnold to compete with Lance for the No. 2 job.

After Darnold beat out Lance for the 49ers’ backup job, San Francisco looked to trade the former North Dakota State quarterback.

Lance’s contract situation was not a deterrant for Dallas. Though he is only earning $940,000 this season, Lance is guaranteed $5.3 million next season. The Cowboys will also have the opportunity to exercise a 5th-year option on Lance for 2025.

Though Lance is headed to Dallas, he still will have plenty of work to do. Cooper Rush is currently the Cowboys’ backup quarterback. Rush has gone 5-1 in six starts during his career and filled in admirably for Dak Prescott last season. There are no guarantees that Lance will even be able to eventually earn the No. 2 job in Dallas either.