The Cowboys acquired quarterback Trey Lance from the 49ers on Saturday, but a few other teams had interest in the quarterback before Dallas sealed the deal.
According to The Athletic’s Diana Russini, the Ravens, Bills and Lions all had interest in picking up the former first-round pick.
So, why did the 49ers choose the Cowboys? It all had to do with the 2024 fourth-round pick Dallas sent in return for Lance. As for the offers from other teams? 49ers general manager John Lynch said it “wasn’t anywhere close” to a fourth-round pick, per San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch.
“The Cowboys came up big,” Lynch said. “And I think that’s an indication that they’re excited to have him. And we're excited for Trey’s new opportunity.”
It’s unknown what the other teams offered the 49ers in hopes of securing Lance, but whatever it was, San Francisco thought their former first-round pick was worth more. Russini did report that some of the early conversations with teams about the Lance trade involved a fifth or sixth round pick.
Trade talks began when the 49ers declared Lance would be their third-string quarterback to begin this season, behind Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold. This came just one year after Lance was named the starter for the season, before he suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2.
Lance will now work behind starter Dak Prescott and backup Cooper Rush in Dallas.
