Jerry Jones on Trey Lance: ‘We view it as an opportunity that could pay dividends this year’

We’ve heard from Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers brass about why it was time to move on from Trey Lance. As the saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. The Dallas Cowboys bested teams like the Detroit Lions and Buffalo Bills and gave the Niners what they felt like was the best deal for Lance.

Cowboys general manager Jerry Jones will never turn down an opportunity to speak to the media. Jones spoke with the Dallas media after their final preseason game about what the expectations for Lance would be on the Cowboys. While “Jerruh” doesn’t expect Lance to contribute this season, it’s an opportunity for Trey in the future:

“I don’t want to plan on, count on, or wish for help from him this year. We view it as an opportunity that could pay divdends this year and will pay dividends in the future.”

Trey is third in the pecking order of Cowboys quarterbacks, much like he was in San Francisco. Dak Prescott is the starter, followed by Cooper Rush.

But Dak is no stranger to injuries, as Rush was forced to start five games in 2022. Rush fooled the world into thinking he was competent during his first few starters, but his play fell off a cliff. Knowing that Rush isn’t the long-term answer as a backup, and Dak having missed at least a month in two of the previous three seasons, that’s where the potential of Lance comes into play.

Jones likes the idea of getting a young quarterback to learn from Dak. He explained how the Cowboys pre-draft evaluation of Lance made the decision to trade for him a no-brainer:

“He gives us an opportunity to do what we would always like to be doing. It would be ideal with Dak to have a young, prospective, developing quarterback that could just be in the room.

The minute that we knew that they were serious about trading him, then we didn’t want the phone to hang up. We did it the equivalent of yesterday. And so we felt good about him with the evaluation we had for him at the draft. We felt good about what we’ve seen, the tape that he’s had since he’s been in the NFL. And it’s one that we made the decision almost the minute we heard the name. Let’s get him.”

Trey goes from one high-profile organization to an even bigger one. Let’s see how quickly the calls for Lance happen if Prescott and the Cowboys struggle early. Dallas is expected to make a run at the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but Prescott also threw interceptions in bunches last year.

Jones went on to say that the Cowboys have been trying to add a young, talented quarterback as they did over the weekend for a couple of years now, which is another reason why they wanted to get a deal done.

Shanahan made it clear when he spoke to the media that he still feels good about the 49ers and his team. Trey was this year’s Brock Purdy, where if he were to play, it would’ve been due to multiple injuries. So, for as much as we’ve talked and will continue to discuss Lance, the outlook for the Niners this season remains unchanged.