Cowboys Trade BREAKING: QB 'Bust' Trey Lance Moves from 49ers to Dallas

With Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers traded to Dallas, the Cowboys have a unique ... if not controversial ... chance to invest in their future.

FRISCO - Could the Dallas Cowboys find future gold in the San Francisco 49ers' ongoing quarterback controversy? As goofy as we've thought the rumor to be - it just came true.

The Cowboys have swapped a 2024 fourth-round pick to the 49ers for the "bust''-labeled QB Trey Lance.

Lance, the embattled third overall pick of the 2023 draft, has tumbled out of favor in the Bay Area's arms race (falling behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold). San Francisco was seeking to cut its losses and move on while there's still value to be squeezed. 

To some, Lance has flashed potential when he's on the field, but that question of "if" has proven far too prevalent: Lance has dealt with a plethora of injuries since coming to the Niners out of North Dakota State, including an ankle ailment that kept him out of all but two games last year. 

Of course, any aerial discussion in Dallas would have to center around Dak Prescott ... something USA Today mentioned in suggesting this idea.

"No question this is Dak Prescott’s team … at least for the next two seasons he's under contract," USA Today said. "No quarterback on the roster of ‘America’s Team  is going to be invisible, but Lance could sharpen his skills, probably for a while, in what passes for anonymity in Dallas. 

“Don’t forget, Mike McCarthy had Brett Favre as his QB1 for two years in Green Bay before transitioning to future four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers."

Let’s analyze what Dallas is doing here with what we believe are five logical counterpoints  …

1 - Prescott is in Dallas' long-range plans as the starter, financially and otherwise. A combination of postseason shortcomings and costly turnovers have placed him under scrutiny. If there is a way to replace Dak with a better option? That’s a valid barroom discussion. Lance is not that player.

2 - We do believe in throwing darts at the QB position; that’s how Dallas found sound backup Cooper Rush. But Rush is a proven “bus driver” who finally got a payday here - albeit a relatively modest $3 million APY. So Lance gets to "experiment'' and "learn'' ... where?

3 - Lance’s price tag? We had him down as a $10 million APY guy for two more seasons - fully guaranteed! The Niners created their mess, trading three first-round picks for the right to draft a bust; why should Dallas rescue them by taking on a $20 million practice-squadder?

We'll research to see if maybe Dallas isn't carrying all of this price tag somehow.

4 - We argue that Lance will create an impact event that the Cowboys don't need. If a touted, (formerly) valued prospect like Lance is on the building, every Prescott incompletion will become headline news in Dallas. … with critics calling for a new guy (as some already do with Rush.)

Add that to the fact that head coach Mike McCarthy is dealing with raised temperatures in his own proverbial seat and has his hands full with the installation of the "Texas Coast Offense'' ... and now he's also supposed to tutor not only Dak, but also Lance?

This is “America's Team” ... is the hoopla and the headache worth the unlikely payoff?

5 - This is an awful lot of pomp and circumstance for a youngster who - according to the Niners “QB guru” who drafted him, coach Kyle Shanahan - simply hasn’t established that he can play a lick. But the Cowboys think they see something in the 6-4, 225-pound prospect that Shanahan couldn't mine? Good luck.

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Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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