Trey Lance finally finds new team in free agency

Trey Lance is headed back to the state of California.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Friday that the quarterback Lance has reached agreement on a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. Lance’s deal will be worth up to $6.2 million, Schefter adds.

Still only 24 years old, Lance was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. But Lance has yet to really get his professional career off the ground, spending much of his rookie season as the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo and then suffering a broken ankle early in the 2022 season that effectively brought about the end of his 49ers tenure.

Before the 2024 season (and after the emergence of Brock Purdy), Lance was traded by the 49ers to the Dallas Cowboys. Despite some apparent support from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Lance did not make anything of an impact in Dallas either. Fellow backup QB Cooper Rush became the starter when Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending hamstring injury, and Lance only drew a start in the final week of the season after the Cowboys had already been eliminated from postseason contention.

As for the Chargers, they already have former Pro Bowl QB Justin Herbert as their undisputed No. 1. Earlier this offseason, the Chargers also signed another very seasoned signal-caller to back Herbert up.

It remains unclear at this point what role, if any, Lance can have in the NFL. With a career 56.6 completion percentage, Lance’s arm has not inspired any confidence thus far, but his ability as a runner might make him an effective gimmick player in certain offensive packages. Now the Chargers are taking on the challenge of figuring out exactly how to use Lance.