The Chargers and quarterback Trey Lance agreed to a one-season contract, the team announced Friday. Lance’s deal is worth up to $6.2 million, according to an ESPN.com report. He and Taylor Heinicke will serve as backups to starter Justin Herbert, giving the Chargers options in case of injury.
Herbert sat out most of training camp last summer because of a foot injury and then was limited for several early-season games because of a sprained ankle. Heinicke, who signed a one-season contract to return to the Chargers last month, won a battle of backups with Easton Stick.
The Chargers did not re-sign Stick.
The San Francisco 49ers picked Lance third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, one year after the Chargers selected Herbert sixth overall from Oregon. Lance played eight games over two seasons with the 49ers, making four starts, losing his job to Brock Purdy after an ankle injury
The 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 25, 2023, in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2024. Lance didn’t take a snap during the 2023 season with Dallas but played four games, starting one, this past season. He completed 25 of 41 passes for 266 yards with one interception.
In his lone start of the 2024 season, Lance, 24, completed 20 of 34 passes for 244 yards during the Cowboys’ regular-season finale, a 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders on Jan. 5. He did not throw a touchdown or an interception. He also ran the football six times for 26 yards.