The San Francisco 49ers have traded QB Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys.
It seems like only yesterday when the San Francisco 49ers traded up to the third overall pick and selected quarterback Trey Lance in 2021. Now, Lance will head to the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys send their 2024 fourth-round pick to the 49ers in the deal.
Trey Lance still is owed $940,000 for the remainder of 2023 and $5.3 million in 2024, all of which is guaranteed from Dallas. The Cowboys also have the ability to decide on Lance’s fifth-year option for 2025. https://t.co/cemu5vNJCR
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2023
What was becoming a contentious situation between the 49ers and Lance, has finally found some closure, as the team now officially moves on from their quarterback experiment.
Where does this leave each team after the Trey Lance trade?
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers found gold when they drafted quarterback Brock Purdy as “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2022. Due to performance and injury issues at quarterback, Purdy came in and went 7-1, including the postseason. He almost led the 49ers to the Super Bowl, but was injured in the team’s playoff game. That game ended in a 31-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The team has already named Purdy the starting quarterback for the upcoming season, and Sam Darnold as his backup.
San Francisco should see additional success this season, as they saw an uptick in performance once they traded for running back Christian McCaffrey last season. He joined a team that has not had many issues the past few seasons, from a statistical standpoint, and pairs well with wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
The offense put up 450 points last season and outscored opponents 450-277 while finishing with a record of 13-4. Expect more of the same, as this team is not going away anytime soon in the NFC West, or the NFL as a whole.
One concerning issue is the Nick Bosa holdout that is taking place. If he does not sign a new deal soon and holds out into the season, the 49ers’ defense might struggle.
Dallas Cowboys
With the Trey Lance trade, the Cowboys add a quarterback that has a bunch of uncertainty swirling around him. Can he benefit from backing up Dak Prescott? Will Lance be able to put pressure on Prescott to play better in big games? Will it be more of the same in a new place?
Since the preseason is entering Week 3 — the final week — Lance will have to learn a new system quickly if he wants to make an instant impact. No, he will not be starting anytime soon. However, competition in the quarterback room could make or break Prescott and backup quarterback Cooper Rush.
The Cowboys, much like the 49ers, have a ton of talent on offense. Tony Pollard is now the RB1 and is joined by wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Gone is Ezekiel Elliott, so there are plenty of questions surrounding the stability of the Cowboys. And the NFC East is not getting any easier.
Having now traded for Trey Lance, the Cowboys might be looking to a future without Prescott, if he is unable to perform well and help the team make a deep postseason run.
If anything, this trade creates more questions than answers at this time.
Dustin Brown
Dustin Brown is a writer for The League Winners. He enjoys hanging out with my family and friends when not trying to delivering NFL news or fantasy content to win your league. There is no sports stone left unturned when it comes to what he will watch.