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.
He’s not even really mobile, i thought he would be when the Niners drafted him but he’s actually kind of a plodding runner.
@bennygiant. Hasn’t played enough to make a decision, but I was saying mobile over heinicke.
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
Or, he keeps getting chances same way Justin Fields keeps getting chances same way Anthony Richardson keeps getting chances same way Daniel Jones keeps getting chances same way Terrell Pryor kept getting chances same way a lot of these QBs keep getting chances etc etc etc
6’4” 225 lbs ran a 4.6 as a QB
Everybody thinks they can fix mobile QBs these days. At the very least they’re nice to have on hand as dummy QBs you toss out there in practice letting defense get use to staying in gaps and not letting guys like Lamar escape for 40 yards down field.
Pryor transitioned to WR after a few years and barely even got a chance at QB so not sure why you’re including him.
Fields also has had pretty decent numbers as a passer in addition to his insane rushing yards.
Richardson keeps getting chances because he keeps getting injured and was touted as this dual threat phenom with the numbers he put up during his rookie season before going down with injury. This year is his last chance in Indy.
Jones is the only one who actually makes sense for what you’re saying.
Also Lance never really had a shot. When he finally got his chance and won the starting job, he got injured a few games into the season. That was the last real chance he’s had to be a starting QB. It’s hard to get better as a young QB if you don’t play.
Pryor was given 3 years in the league as a QB seeing back up duty his first 2 much like Lance. But was drafted in the 3rd cause of his athleticism. Way too high at the time.
Fields passing numbers suck. He improved his accuracy but dropped a full yard per catch to do so. His yards per attempt have been subpar as well at 6.9 three out of 4 years.
Richardson sucks when healthy. But guarantee if Indy cuts him someone takes a chance on him thinking we can fix him much like Lance. Richardson and Lance were both drafted as dual threat QBs (Lance threw 2800 yards ran for 1100 yards his sophomore season) who were seen as projects.
How many of them cost 3 first rounds picks and were taken 3rd overall? And because he was foolishly taken 3rd overall he’ll continue to get more chances. It would be interesting to see where the 9ers would be with 3 more weapons drafted with those picks. Going 3rd overall meant he should’ve been plug & play and playing right away, nobody gives up that draft capital to have a guy “redshirt” for 2 seasons and then only get on the field because they finally wanted to see if he had anything before getting hurt. If he was worthy he’d have seen the field before then, instead he’s an epic bust.
He was gonna be a first round pick regardless if anyone traded up for him
49ers over paying for him isn’t why he’s getting chances
He’s getting chances cause he’s a former first round pick who’s 24 still built like a line backer but can run like a running back.
Teams think they can fix him or make him serviceable. And. Maybe they can
Sam Darnold bounced around a while before Minnesota
Geno smith bounced around a while before Seattle
Baker mayfield did the same before Tampa Bay
Plenty of former first round picks or athletic guys get chances in the nfl.
Kaepernick even had chances with broncos or ravens
Tim Tebow had chances outside his Denver days
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.
No they were only talking about Lamar converting because of his size.
No, Polean was saying it for the same reason they always used to say it. Lamar Jackson is not small. He’s 6′ 3″ or 6″4″ and over 200 pounds.
People were claiming it was unfair Lawrence couldn’t come out as a freshman or sophomore. That always cracked me up.
He played in a weak conference full of undisciplined DBs and had a super team around him with elite WRs. I knew he would struggle just like I knew Zach Wilson would.
The only ones I’ve really been wrong about were Herbert and Daniels. I wasn’t impressed with Herbert in college (and he also played against undisciplined DBs in a weak conference), and in my defense I only saw Daniels’ first year at LSU. He was an embarrassingly bad passer that year despite the misleading numbers.
What about Josh Allen? Personally, I whiffed on him big time. My assumption was if you can only complete 56% of your passes in college you are not cut out for the NFL.
I said this in the Giant story. How Daboll developed him is one of the greatest coordinator jobs of all time.
I always knew Daniels had it since he was a freshman at ASU.
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.
@realfootball. It wasn’t a point it was a fact. Plus he should’ve been gone before his extension.
Lawrence should too. The owners actively celebrated him as the next coming, so they can’t admit that yet. If Coen can’t fix him, I think everyone will be in agreement on what some of us saw when he was coming out, he stopped developing after Clemson beat Alabama down in that championship game. He’s a slow processor who makes a lot of mistakes, which is why Coen said this week they need to run the ball more to hide him.
With how inconsistent Lawrence has been. He’s well on his way.
Nah he just got paid
Wish him well but that’s a lot of money for a guy who genuinely looks like he can’t play at that level
@rockingryan. The gm puts in incentives on the contract. Guaranteed it’s vet minimum with the possibility of 6.2
And that assumes he even makes the team. If he gets released before week 1 he is likely guaranteed nothing.
The guy has completed 81 passes in the NFL (out of 143 attempts) and has “earned” over $34MM.
I’d say drafting is a pretty inexact science…
why couldn’t wilson or lance land with the patriots? i mean, i thought that’s what the ’21 qbs were doing, replacing each other.
How is this dude still in the league? He couldn’t start for a bad cowboys team with Dak injured.
True, and it’s a shame he couldn’t go play some in the UFL and get some live action. Instead he’ll be a QB3 at best and running scout teams.
It makes perfect sense when you remember how good Harbaugh made Kaepernick look.
Very similar QBs. Run first, read option type guys.
The guy who has been out of the league for almost a decade?
Lance wasn’t a run first, run option guy though. He was touted as being a fast processor who could operate like a Mahomes at this level. It’s why I wonder what these people were watching when they wrote these scouting reports five years ago, and it wasn’t one. It’s like they all copied each other and wrote the same things. My red flag when he was coming out was the competition level, but okay, you had Allen and Wentz in the league at that point who had already had success. But the bigger flag was the less than 300 snaps. It was like a freshman QB coming out to the NFL. That’s a gigantic learning curve.
Has anyone made more of zero tape in the NFL