There is a lot of uncertainty in the quarterback room of the Dallas Cowboys beyond this season. The upcoming offseason will see Cooper Rush and Dak Prescott become free agents. Trey Lance, the team’s lone other quarterback, has a 2025 fifth-year option on his contract. If the Cowboys reject it, Lance will become a free agent in the spring of 2019.
Cowboys News: Dallas Declining Trey Lance’s Fifth-Year Option
This is not a big surprise. Lance is making $5.31 million this season but would have made $22.4 million if the Cowboys were to pick up this option due to Lance being a former third-overall pick. Considering that they will have a massive cap hit for Prescott already, declining Lance’s guaranteed money was a no-brainer.
This doesn’t mean, however, that the Cowboys don’t have faith in Lance. Presumably, they still believe in him long-term since they gave up a fourth-round pick for him less than a year ago. Lance was behind Rush in the depth chart last season, not making an appearance for the Cowboys, but he is expected to surpass him this year.
Lance is already one of multiple disappointing quarterbacks from the 2021 NFL Draft. He was one of five signal-callers selected in the first round along with Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, Mac Jones, and Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence was the only one out of that group whose team picked up his fifth-year option. The others got traded before their rookie contracts were up.
The former North Dakota State star is still only 23 years old. He still has the potential to establish his career in the NFL. Whether he will get the chance to shine in Dallas to do that remains to be seen.
