Trey Lance admits being traded to Dallas is 'breath of fresh air'

The Dallas Cowboys surprised the NFL world on Friday, trading for quarterback Trey Lance. A former No. 3 overall pick of the 49ers, Lance lost out to both Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold. San Francisco decided to cut its losses and wound up receiving a fourth-round pick from Dallas.

Lance knew the trade was coming but never imagined the Cowboys would come calling. He praised both organizations for being “top-tier” but is happy to be in Dallas. In fact, he called working with Mike McCarthy a “breath of fresh air” despite only being in town for two days.

“It was a little bit surreal for me hearing I was going to come here knowing everything about this historic organization,” Lance said via ESPN. “Just compared to the 49ers, obviously you think of that as another one of the top-tier, historic organizations, but for me, just very excited to be here. Coach McCarthy and the entire coaching staff, man, nothing but knowledge being in all these meetings.

“It’s been awesome for me. It’s been fun. Kind of a breath of fresh air to learn a new offense and being around the guys the last two days. I feel like I’ve learned so much just ball.”

San Francisco gave up a ton of draft capital to draft Lance. A total of three first-round picks and a third-rounder were sent to the Miami Dolphins for the rights to the third pick in the 2021 draft. In return, the 49ers got eight games for 797 yards, five touchdowns, and three touchdowns out of Lance.

Even if his performances were slightly better, the thought was going to be Lance was a franchise quarterback. Obviously, neither party is happy with how things went but there is still hope for Lance as he transitions to Dallas.

“It’s not how I expected it to go,” Lance said. “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 for a reason. Regardless of what it is, just want to try to find a way to help the team.”

As to how Lance helps the Cowboys win, we will have to wait and see. Dak Prescott is the starter, while Cooper Rush has experience as the backup. Lance is the third quarterback carried on the 53-man roster, finalized on Tuesday. There likely will not be an impact during the 2023 season

At the very least, Lance can take a deep breath in and exhale with relief knowing he gets a fresh start in Dallas.