The 49ers expected Trey Lance to be their franchise quarterback when they traded three first-round picks and a third-rounder to the Dolphins in 2021 to move up to No. 3. Lance expected to be the 49ers’ starting quarterback for a long time.
The marriage lasted only two years, four starts and 262 snaps before the 49ers sent him to the Cowboys for a fourth-round draft pick.
“It’s not how I expected it to go,” Lance said Tuesday, via Schuyler Dixon of the Associated Press. “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.”
Lance learned Wednesday that Sam Darnold beat him out for the backup quarterback job behind Brock Purdy. Two days later, he was with the Cowboys.
“That conversation obviously wasn’t something I wanted to hear, but that’s the reality of the situation,” Lance said of learning he was No. 3 on the depth chart. “Obviously, it was tough, but for me it was trying to figure out what was next and what’s going to happen in the future.
“I really tried to not expect anything one way or another, but I can say that when I heard ‘Cowboys,’ I had a big smile on my face. I was very excited to be here.”
Lance works out in Fort Worth in the offseason, so he already has familiarity with the area. Now, it’s home.
He joins a quarterbacks room with Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, and Prescott has shown no reservation about the Cowboys acquiring the No. 3 overall pick in 2021.
“He welcomed me with open arms,” Lance said of Prescott. “This morning was the first time I ran into him, but that meant a lot to me. This business is crazy. But for me, I’m not looking forward at all. I’m really trying to take it one day at a time. He’s a guy who has obviously played at a very high level for a very long time. Nothing but tons of respect for him, as I think he deserves and gets from across the league. So for me, just trying to learn everything I possibly can from him.”
