Trey Lance was the No. 3 overall pick in 2021 by the 49ers and most recently spent the 2023 and 2024 seasons with the Cowboys.
On Friday afternoon, NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that former Niners and Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance is signing a one-year deal up with the Chargers worth up to $6.2 million.
ESPN sources: former Cowboys and 49ers QB Trey Lance reached agreement today on a one-year deal worth up to $6.2 million with the Los Angeles Chargers. Lance and Taylor Heinicke are now behind starting QB Justin Herbert. pic.twitter.com/CaOZiWMLPa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2025
The move comes less than a year after the Chargers traded a late-round pick to the Commanders in exchange for quarterback Taylor Heinicke. The trade was made as an effort to upgrade their backup quarterback spot behind Justin Herbert. Despite Herbert being one of the most durable quarterbacks in the league since being drafted in 2020, the need for a better backup was only emphasized during the four-game stretch in 2023 when he missed the final four games of the season with a hand injury.
Lance spent the entire 2024 season with the Cowboys where he started one game and played in four others. He ended the season with 266 passing yards, one interception, and 41 rushing yards.
Due to a horrendous streak of injuries, Lance only played in eight games for the 49ers after being selected third overall in the 2021 draft. After winning the starting job during the 2022 preseason, Lance lasted just two games before suffering an ankle dislocation and fracture that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
In August of 2023, Lance traded to the Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. He was a healthy scratch all year. This past season, Lance was the third-string quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, but was elevated to backup following an injury to Prescott.
We’ll have to wait to see what the base salary is for Lance because if it’s anything but a minimal deal with a bunch of incentives built in, this move doesn’t make a bunch of sense. The Chargers do not need to spend a bunch of money on a third-stringer, but there’s a chance Joe Hortiz hopes Lance can land the team a late-round draft pick from a quarterback-needy team in 2025.