Getty Cowboys QB Trey Lance (right)
As the old saying goes, if you can’t beat them … make them deeper? Well, maybe not, but that’s what the Cowboys would be primed to do if they went ahead with a move suggested by Bleacher Report this week, which would deal away backup quarterback Trey Lance to Green Bay.
The haul for sending away Lance, who did not throw a single pass for the Cowboys in 2023, to an NFC rival: the 126th pick in the draft, aka the Packers’ fourth-round selection.
Now, despite the suggestion from B/R, that would be an odd move for the Cowboys to make in the midst of a contract standoff with quarterback Dak Prescott. The team and Prescott have made no progress on a new deal for the Pro Bowl QB, which means he is slated to enter the 2024 season with a $59 million salary and only one year left on his contract.
That is an untenable situation, but it does appear that there is a very real possibility that the Cowboys want Prescott to show he can lead the team through the regular season and, finally, take them deep into the playoffs before committing to another long-term deal for him. And Lance is their one bit of leverage, the sliver of a backup plan to allowing Prescott to hit free agency next year.
Trey Lance Trade Viable if Dak Prescott Is Re-Signed
So, trading Lance does not seem to be a viable option for the Cowboys, at least not until the Prescott situation is worked out. Lance, the No. 3 pick by the 49ers in the 2021 draft, is the Cowboys’ current Plan B at quarterback.
But let’s hear out B/R on why such a trade could go down with the Packers, a team that is pretty well set up for the future at quarterback with Jordan Love:
“The Packers have showcased their ability to develop a backup quarterback with Love. Coming out of Utah State, he had a bounty of physical gifts and his time on the bench in Green Bay has clearly helped him become a viable franchise quarterback.
“Lance is in the final year of his rookie contract. … It’s at least worth it for the Packers to give the Cowboys a call. At worst, Lance plays out the final year of his contract and leaves in 2025. At best, he shows improvement and either becomes the long-term backup or brings back an even higher pick in a trade down the road.”
It’s a fair summation of the situation, though it’s hard to see how he would get many opportunities to show improvement if he is firmly behind Love on the depth chart.
Cowboys Using Ultimatum Strategy
The only way the Cowboys would trade away Lance for a fourth-rounder would be if the team was determined to bring Prescott back after all, and was committed to filling as many of its roster holes as possible through the draft. That is a logical resolution here.
But it’s not traditional logic that is determining this situation. Logically, the Cowboys should work out an extension with Prescott and get a pick back for Lance. Owner Jerry Jones is using a different sort of logic, though, determined to force Prescott to earn his keep by winning a playoff game or two before capitulating to a new contract. It’s essentially an ultimatum.
Maybe that’s a fair and shrew way to force the team, and Prescott, to raise their level. Maybe it’s at least worth trying that before just rubber-stamping a humungous new deal.
Or maybe Jones has second thoughts and gives in on a new contract for Prescott, and does look to trade away Lance. There’s still time for that—but it just does not yet look likely.