Trey Lance will receive another chance in the NFL. The former No. 3 overall pick is signing with the Chargers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports.
This will give the former North Dakota State star an opportunity to become Justin Herbert‘s backup, though Taylor Heinicke also re-signed last month. Lance will join the Bolts on a one-year deal worth up to $6.2MM. This now takes all four of the 2021 first-round QBs who hit free agency off the board, as Justin Fields (Jets), Zach Wilson (Dolphins) and Mac Jones (49ers) had found homes already.
Talk of a potential Cowboys-Lance reunion did commence, but the team made other plans post-Cooper Rush. Dallas let the 2023 trade acquisition hit free agency and has since traded for Joe Milton. Lance came up as a Colts option, but Indy paid up for Daniel Jones on a one-year deal to push Anthony Richardson.
Lance’s career arc has doubled as one of the strangest in modern QB history. His breakthrough college season occurred back in 2019 — a stupendous 28-touchdown, zero-interception slate that brought another Bison Division I-FCS title — but the COVID-19 pandemic nixed the FCS 2020 fall slate. Lance declared for the 2021 draft and commanded considerable interest, leading to a 49ers misstep. Amazingly, San Francisco did not lose much ground thanks to the Lance trade-up — a move that cost two first-round picks and a third — but the dual-threat QB’s fall in San Francisco was certainly a notable development for one of the 2020s’ top teams.
Lance is still just 24, and even after seeing some time following Dak Prescott‘s 2024 hamstring injury, he has thrown just 143 passes in four seasons. Considering how light his college workload was, Lance has simply not seen much action since a dominant season at just 19. The 49ers gave Lance their Week 1 starting job in 2022 but did so after regrouping with Jimmy Garoppolo — a player who spent months on the trade block as Lance readied for stater work. Lance’s ankle fracture in Week 2 of that season moved Garoppolo back into action, and after Brock Purdy‘s stunning emergence, Sam Darnold beat out Lance for San Francisco’s QB2 job in 2023, leading to the Dallas trade.
It is notable that Mike McCarthy did not turn to Lance following Prescott’s injury, instead going with a known commodity (Rush) for most of the season’s second half. Lance started just one game last season, a Week 18 encounter against Washington. Facing a playoff-bound Commanders team, Lance completed 20 of 34 passes for 244 yards. This did involve a fourth-quarter go-ahead drive against a Washington team playing defensive starters (and the Cowboys resting CeeDee Lamb), but Lance had thrown just seven 2024 passes prior to that game.
It appears Lance will have another chance to win a backup gig, one Heinicke (32) held after the Bolts were not satisfied with Easton Stick‘s work during the summer. Heinicke re-signed on a one-year, $2.5MM deal, so it will be interesting to learn the base value of Lance’s pact.
Lance brings upside still, but his ceiling has certainly caved in after underwhelming rookie-contract work. Lance, who rushed for 1,100 yards and 14 TDs during his redshirt-freshman performance, already made $34.1MM on his rookie deal. Jim Harbaugh and Co. will now take a look at the depressed asset on what amounts to a flier.
I want to see the incentives bc Trey is not worth above average backup money
Don’t hate it. I rather have a mobile backup. So is heinicke’s deal also contingent on him winning the backup job.
That’s a lot of $ for somebody that will be QB3.
@polish i bet it’s league minimum up to 6.2 if he wins the backup job. I originally thought the same thing.
Agreed. Plus there’s a good chance he gets released before the regular season and the Chargers pay nothing when he can’t beat out UDFA Taylor Heinicke.
@mustardtiger. Yeah heinicke is clutch, lance is mobile. It might be fairly even. Atleast if the defense keeps it close heinicke should get wins. Lance would probably throw 4 picks and make it a blowout. But he fits the roman mold for a backup.
I agree they could still release him before the regular season, but in the mean time do you think there is a chance they want a mobile QB on the roster so the defense can practice against someone with a good set of legs?
I don’t think he can beat out Heinicke for the QB2 job.
@devious one. Didn’t think about that angle but he could very well make it to the practice squad.
The Cowboys had no interest in bringing him back even after Cooper Rush left. I think there’s a very high likelihood he’s terrible and nothing is going to change that. But I know this, if he really sucks Jim Harbaugh will have no hesitation in cutting him. Taylor Heinicke is a very unsexy backup, but he’s a stable choice if Herbert went down for a game or two.
@mustard tiger. The more I think of it it’s probably to stash him on the practice squad. I bet his base salary is vet minimum, and he has a home for a year, because I doubt anyone would claim him. Also like devious said he’s the fast quarterback for the defense. Either way if the backup qb plays chargers are missing the playoffs.
He’s younger and not any worse than Easton Stick…Also the Chargers are contractually obligated to carry a North Dakota State QB every single year. Just be glad it isn’t Carson Wentz
Bust on Wentz but he’s got a SB ring and played at an MVP when healthy while this bust keeps getting chances because of where he was drafted and not due to anything he’s done on an NFL field.
MVP level
Going back and reading some of these scouting reports from the time underlines why the public is generally so stupid in how they see these players. In no world was this guy ever going to succeed coming out of an FCS college with less than 300 snaps, yet I see report after report declaring he had a high football IQ and that he was a fast processor, lol. Processor of what? College remedial defenses? The Trevor Lawrence scouting reports are even more comical. Just go down the line. It’s a good thing that these internet records are forever. Bunch of people parroting talking points that often aren’t based in reality.
@realfootballfan. Quarterback is probably the hardest to predict. They were talking about Lamar Jackson converting to WR his draft year. I try to stick with Daniel Jeremiah. Steve Smith has been spot on with his takes on WR. Kiper has been terrible since he started.
But it really isn’t. it’s gotten easier the last ten years. I called both Jackson and Jayden Daniels being good because what you see is what you get now in the college ranks. It’s not like the past where it was hard to project them. If a guy can’t take pressure in college, he’s not succeeding in the pros. Murray’s probably the only one I thought would be a hard bust that’s done okay, and he still has never looked like a #1 pick, which is why I didn’t like him coming out since he was projected there. Like I can tell you in almost absolute terms that Quinn Ewers will not be a good NFL QB. Too stiff, too slow processing, brittle, and blinks too much in face of a pass rush.
@realfootballfan. Young looks like a bust, and I’m not convinced on Caleb Williams we will see with his new line, but he had plenty of weapons to succeed. I don’t think anyone is talking about ewers being great, and not convinced on this class at all. It comes down to reading defenses. Going Back to the lance and the high level processor is probably what they meant but I agree that they were wrong.
Every first round 2021 QB minus Trevor Lawrence is on their third nfl team. What a wonder
@sentinelATl. Shhh. Your ruining his point, and I didn’t even want to argue that. It’s still very much volatile. I agree with him talking about the pundits saying stupid stuff, and being bad at evaluations. You just got to figure out the good ones vs the bad
BAAAHHUMNBUG
Daniel Jones was on one team too until last year. What’s your point? Fact is that outside of half a season, he’s been underwhelming.