Trey Lance has a fresh start.

The San Francisco 49ers have traded quarterback Trey Lance to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick less than three years after trading three first-round picks to draft him third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Lance was set to play in the 49ers’ preseason game Friday night against the Chargers.

Instead, he’s off to Dallas in hopes of salvaging his NFL career, likely as a backup to Dak Prescott.

“Really hard day, such a wonderful young man. We took a shot and it didn’t work out. We own that. We take accountability for it,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said on the team’s preseason broadcast Friday night “But I think, as I think you guys do, his story is still very much unwritten. I’m excited for Trey.

“Dallas stepped up and really wanted him and they came after him. And I think it’s going to be a great landing spot for him. I can tell everybody, it wasn’t for lack of effort on Trey’s part or on our part, that it didn’t work.

The Cowboys will owe Lance $940,000 for the remainder of 2023 and $5.3 million in 2024, all of which is guaranteed, and will get to decide after this season whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option for 2025, per the report.

Despite Lance having started just 17 games at North Dakota State and the 49ers already equipped with veteran Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback, the 49ers sent three first-round picks and a third-round pick to Miami to move from No. 12 to No. 3 and pick what they thought would turn into a franchise quarterback.

Lance began his rookie season as the backup to Garoppolo but quickly received starting duties in Week 5 after the veteran got hurt during the game prior.

But Lance sprained his knee in the game, and again fell behind Garoppolo on the depth chart, though he did make a second start Week 17 when Garoppolo got hurt again.

After much speculation, Lance was named the 49ers’ starting quarterback over Garoppolo entering his second season, but he suffered a gruesome, season-ending broken ankle in just the second game of the year.

And after Garoppolo got hurt again after replacing Lance, Brock Purdy — whom the 49ers drafted with the final pick in the 2021 draft (the same year as Lance) — emerged out of nowhere to lead San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game.

Purdy, who earned the “Mr. Irrelevant” moniker for his draft selection, performed better than expected, solidifying him as the 49ers’ starter this season.

But the team’s quarterback situation took a further twist in March when they signed ex-Jets bust Sam Darnold, and he subsequently won the backup job over Lance in August.

Once the 49ers moved Darnold ahead of Lance on the depth chart, the writing was on the wall for the latter.

“When we told him that he was going to be the three, if he could find another opportunity that was good, we’d allow him to do that, and he did,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We feel he’ll be better for it, and I think we will, too.”

What do you think? Be the first to comment.

Lance has appeared in eight regular season games and started just four in his NFL career, throwing for 797 passing yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions along with 235 rushing yards and a touchdown.

Behind Prescott, Cooper Rush has long served as the Cowboys’ backup.

— with AP