The 49ers trading up to draft Trey Lance in 2021 might go down as one of the worst decisions in franchise history, but the Dallas Cowboys don't view their acquisition of the young quarterback that way.
Dallas traded a 2024 fourth-round draft pick to San Francisco for Lance, which the 49ers used to draft safety Malik Mustapha, who has played 10 games (six starts) and already has shown his NFL value.
Meanwhile, Lance has yet to start a game in Dallas, and after starting quarterback Dak Prescott sustained a season-ending injury, backup Cooper Rush will be the Cowboys' QB1 moving forward. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even said he doesn't want Lance to see the field for the rest of the season.
But despite all this, executive vice president Stephen Jones maintained they don't regret trading for Lance.
“[Lance] is a top-tier pick, a guy we had at the top,” Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan (h/t Pro Football Talk). “As you know, Dak was coming up for a contract, and we wanted to take a look at a good, young talent and didn’t feel like we could get anything from a quality standpoint like we could get with Trey.
"As it turns out, we ended up signing Dak long-term. So, obviously that puts a little less need in terms of having to rush to do something with Trey. Matter of fact, it makes it hard because Trey, I’m sure, is wanting to see what’s out there now that we have committed to Dak long-term. But I don’t regret that at all.”
Jerry Jones said Rush will continue as the starter because he gives the Cowboys (3-7) the best chance to win, while Lance sits and waits for an opportunity that might never come.
San Francisco 49ers
Lance, 24, will become a free agent in March.
And even if he leaves Dallas without ever starting a regular-season game, Jones wouldn't change a thing about how things unfolded.
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