Trey Lance has no impact on Dak Prescott; Dallas Cowboys hope Prescott has impact on him
When the San Francisco 49ers contacted the Dallas Cowboys about an opportunity to trade for disappointing quarterback Trey Lance, the team’s third overall pick in 2021, owner Jerry Jones could have pinched himself.
He had been looking for a quarterback to develop behind Dak Prescott for the last three seasons.
And while Lance was a first-round bust in San Francisco, making just four starts after the team traded multiple first-round picks to acquire him, he was perfect for what the Cowboys were looking for.
So Jones didn’t tell anyone about the deal until they had swapped a fourth-round pick to the 49ers late Friday night. He did not tell coach Mike McCarthy or Prescott.
“We didn’t tell anybody till we did it. Period,” Jones said. “There was nobody that knew it. We told Mike after we’d done it. My point is we just wanted to get it done.
“We made the decision almost the minute we heard the name. Let’s get him.”
The Cowboys made it clear that the Lance deal has no impact on Prescott and his future with the team.
“Absolutely,” said vice president Stephen Jones when asked if the Cowboys still plan on signing Prescott to a long-term contract extension.
Said Jerry Jones: “It didn’t cross my mind, period, about an impact here regarding Dak. I know Dak wants to do anything we can do to improve this team and we’re going to do it.”
Prescott got the news of the trade from McCarthy.
“I mean obviously understand it’s a business,” Prescott said. “That’s a first-round talent and you’re always trying to make your team better. But that was the front office so we’re going to welcome him as we do any teammate and hopefully he just makes us better and we’re going to continue to get back at it and know that we’ve got one goal as a team.”
Regarding now Lance impacts his contract negotiations on a deal with the Cowboys, Prescott, who called plays in the final preseason game for the offense, punted.
“I’m going to leave those talks in the office where business is handled,” Prescott said.
More pointedly, the Cowboys hope Prescott has an impact on Lance and plays a role in his development.
The Cowboys understand Lance had his struggles in San Francisco but they thought highly of him leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft.
Per sources, the team had a second-round grade on Lance coming out of North Dakota State.
And, at just 23 years old, they still see him as a prospect worth developing behind Prescott.
“We felt good about him with the evaluation we had for him at the draft,” Jerry Jones said. “We felt good about what we’ve seen, tape that he’s had since he’s been in the NFL. We think that’s been good exposure for him. And it’s certainly based on the fact that with Dak Prescott, we’ve got one of the finest rooms, we’ve got one of the finest places for a young, aspiring quarterback to learn from and evolve from.”
“He gives us an opportunity to do what we would always like to be doing. It would be ideal with Dak to have a young prospective, developing quarterback that could just be in the room, be on the team with him. So this really was in our mind very much that he was going to be coming into this situation with Dak.”
Jerry Jones said he hopes they have no need to play Lance in 2023. Prescott is the starter and Cooper Rush remains the backup for at least one more year.
Stephen Jones said being away from San Francisco and the pressure of the first-round pick can be a positive for Lance.
“I think it can,” he said. “When you’re the No. 3 pick in the draft, obviously there’s high expectations. Certainly now that he’s moved on from that. We’re ready to work with him, and look forward to him. We had really big grades on him coming out, and nothing’s changed our mind as far as that’s concerned.
This move was about the future. Lance could be the primary backup in 2024.
And if he develops he could possibly bring the Cowboys a big return in a trade down the road.
“We all know what happens when they do work out, even if they’re not going to be here,” Stephen Jones said. “People end up offering you a whole lot for them if they have to get on the field and play because of extenuating circumstances. Quarterbacks are hard to find, and they’re great resources to have.”
This story was originally published August 26, 2023 at 7:00 PM.
