Trey Lance on Getting Traded to Cowboys: ‘I Had a Big Smile on My Face’

The former No. 3 pick will get a chance for a fresh start in the Lone Star State.

Trey Lance was given a clean slate late last week when the 49ers opted to trade the former No. 3 pick to the Cowboys after he plummeted down San Francisco’s depth chart this preseason. 

On Tuesday, the 23-year-old addressed the media for the first time since he landed in the Lone Star State and he seemed plenty pleased about the move. 

“When I heard ‘Cowboys’, I had a big smile on my face,” Lance said about his initial reaction to the trade, per The Athletic’s Jon Machota.

Dallas needed to send back only a 2024 fourth-round pick to acquire the rising third-year quarterback last Friday, which showed just how much Lance’s value had dropped since the 49ers traded multiple first-rounders to select the former North Dakota State standout as the No. 3 pick in ’21. A devastating season-ending injury last year, the emergence of seventh-round rookie sensation Brock Purdy and the acquisition of veteran Sam Darnold all combined to leave Lance without one of the top two spots in the Niners’ quarterback room and necessitate the need for a fresh start elsewhere.

Breer: Reexamining Trey Lance’s Timeline in San Francisco to Understand Why 49ers Had to Trade Him

Despite his less than ceremonious ending to his time in the Bay Area, Lance harbors no ill will toward the organization that drafted him and gave him his first opportunity in the NFL.

“I learned a ton. Like I said just very thankful for everyone there,” Lance said of his time with the 49ers, per Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s not how I expected it to go. It’s not how I think a lot of people expected it to go. But I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think I’m here [in Dallas] for a reason.”