Trey Lance | American Football Wiki - Fandom

Trey Lance

Lance in 2021.
No. 5 - Los Angeles Chargers
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(2000-05-09) May 9, 2000 (age 25)
Marshall, Minnesota
Listed height:	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight:	228 lb (104 kg)
Personal information
High school:	Marshall Senior
(Marshall, Minnesota)
College:	North Dakota State
(2017-2020)
NFL Draft:	2021 / Rnd: 1 / Pck: 3rd
Career history
San Francisco 49ers (2021–2022) Dallas Cowboys (2023-2024) Los Angeles Chargers (2025-present)
Roster status: Active
Career highlights and awards
2x FCS champion (2018, 2019) 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship MVP Walter Payton Award (2019) Jerry Rice Award (2019) MVFC Offensive Player of the Year (2019) First-team All-MVFC (2019)

Trey Lance (born May 9, 2000) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at North Dakota State, where he received the Walter Payton Award and Jerry Rice Award in 2019 en route to winning the NCAA Division I Football Championship. Lance was selected third overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft, but limited play and injuries led to him being traded after two seasons to the Cowboys. Lance spent two seasons as a backup with the Cowboys before signing with the Chargers in 2025.

Contents

• 1 Early life and high school
• 2 College career
  • 2.1 Statistics
• 3 Professional career
  • 3.1 San Francisco 49ers
    • 3.1.1 2021
    • 3.1.2 2022
    • 3.1.3 2023
  • 3.2 Dallas Cowboys
    • 3.2.1 2023 season
    • 3.2.2 2024 season
  • 3.3 Los Angeles Chargers
    • 3.3.1 2025
• 4 NFL career statistics
• 5 Personal life
• 6 References
• 7 External links

Early life and high school[]

Lance was born in Marshall, Minnesota on May 9, 2000.[1] He was trained mainly by his father Carlton, a former cornerback at Southwest Minnesota State who also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League and the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football.[1][2][3] Lance "stood out" in a town with little racial diversity, with Carlton being black and his mother Angie being white.[4]

Lance played running back in youth football and first played at quarterback in middle school.[4][1] He later attended Marshall High School, where he was viewed as the best quarterback prospect in Minnesota.[5] He initially wanted to play at the University of Minnesota and had been ready to commit there after attending a recruiting event in February 2017. However, he was not considered a quarterback prospect by them or other Power Five schools as they wanted him to play wide receiver or defensive back instead.[3][1] The only schools that offered him the chance to stay at quarterback were from schools in the Group of Five conferences or the Football Championship Subdivision, with Lance eventually committing to North Dakota State in December 2017.[3][6][7]

College career[]

Lance was redshirted for the 2018 season, but played in two games where he recorded two rushing touchdowns. He was named the starter in 2019 and led the Bison to the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game and was named its most valuable player in the 28–20 victory.[8][1] He finished the season throwing 287 times for 28 touchdowns and no interceptions, an NCAA record for most passing attempts in a season without an interception. He also ran for 1,100 yards and 14 touchdowns.[9] For his performance that season, he won the Walter Payton Award as the FCS's most outstanding offensive player and the Jerry Rice Award as the FCS's best freshman.[10][11]

Lance was set to start again in 2020 before the season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His only game appearance that season was in a single exhibition game against Central Arkansas in October 2020, where he threw for two touchdowns and ran for an additional two while throwing the only interception of his college career.[9] The Bison were scheduled to make up the rest of the season in early 2021, but Lance announced following the game that he would opt-out and begin to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.[12]

Statistics[]

Season	Games		Passing								Rushing
	GP	GS	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD
2018	2	0	1	1	100	12	12	0	0	200.8	8	82	10.3	2
2019	16	16	192	287	66.9	2,786	9.7	28	0	180.6	169	1,100	6.5	14
2020	1	1	15	30	50	149	5	2	1	107.1	15	143	9.5	2
Career[13]	19	17	208	318	65.4	2,947	9.3	30	1	173.8	192	1,325	6.9	18

Professional career[]

One of the top quarterback prospects of the 2021 NFL Draft, Lance was selected third overall by the San Francisco 49ers, who traded their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 to move up to the selection earlier that offseason.[14][15][16] In the lead-up to the draft, most media outlets had projected the 49ers' pick to be Mac Jones.[17] Lance was the 49ers' highest drafted quarterback since Alex Smith in 2005, and was also the second-highest drafted FCS player after fellow North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz in 2016.

San Francisco 49ers[]

2021[]

See also: 2021 San Francisco 49ers season

Ahead of the 2021 NFL draft, most analysts predicted Lance or Alabama quarterback Mac Jones would be taken third overall by the San Francisco 49ers, who traded up with the Miami Dolphins in exchange for their first-round picks in 2021, 2022, and 2023 and their third-round pick in 2022. The 49ers selected Lance, making him their first first-round quarterback since Alex Smith in 2005 and the second-highest drafted FCS player after fellow NDSUquarterback Carson Wentz. Considered a top quarterback prospect in the draft, Lance was one of five quarterbacks taken in the first round. He signed his four-year rookie contract, worth $34.1 million, on July 28, 2021.

Lance began the 2021 season as the second-string quarterback behind incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, but made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. Lance was used in one play during the first quarter, in which he contributed to the eventual 41–33 road victory by throwing a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Trent Sherfield. Two weeks later against the Green Bay Packers, Lance took the field for two plays and scored a rushing touchdown in the first as the 49ers narrowly lost by a score of 30–28.

During a Week 4 28–21 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Lance saw his first significant playing time when he relieved an injured Garoppolo in the second half. Lance completed nine of 18 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for 41 yards and a two-point conversion. Due to Garoppolo's injury, Lance was named the starter for the following week's game against the Arizona Cardinals. Lance completed 15-of-29 passes for 192 yards and an interception while also rushing 16 times for 89 yards in the 17–10 road loss.Following the game, it was announced Lance suffered a sprained knee. The injury made him unavailable for the Week 7 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, with Nate Sudfeldreplacing Lance as the second option behind a returning Garoppolo. Lance returned as Garoppolo's backup during the next week's 33–22 victory over the Chicago Bears. Lance did not take field again until the 49ers' final drive against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 11. He rushed for seven yards before taking the victory formation to complete the 30–10 road victory.

Lance remained the second-string quarterback for the next five weeks until Garoppolo suffered a thumb injury during a 20–17 road loss to the Tennessee Titans. Making his second start in Week 17 against the Houston Texans, Lance threw for 249 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception during the 23–7 victory, earning Lance his first career win. Lance's start marked his final appearance in 2021 after Garoppolo returned for the regular season finale against the Los Angeles Rams. Lance held a backup role during the 49ers' playoff run, which concluded with a road loss to the Rams in the NFC Championship Game. Following the season, Lance revealed he spent the year battling a right index finger injury he suffered in a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

2022[]

See also: 2022 San Francisco 49ers season

Lance was named the starter over Garoppolo for the season, but only appeared in two games before suffering a season-ending ankle injury against the Seahawks in Week 2. His only full game of the season was the season opener against the Bears, where he completed 13-of-28 passes for 164 yards and an interception in a 19–10 road loss. Lance had a second surgery on his ankle to remove hardware causing irritation.

2023[]

See also: 2023 San Francisco 49ers season

Lance entered the 2023 training camp on uncertain terms due to his limited play with the 49ers and the success of second-year quarterback Brock Purdy the previous season, who helped lead the 49ers to the 2022 NFC Championship Game. Ahead of the season, Lance was named the third-string backup behind Purdy and free agent acquisition Sam Darnold, which led to further speculation over his future in San Francisco. Lance completed 22-of-33 passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns and an interception while playing in San Francisco's first two preseason games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos; he did not play in the team's final preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Dallas Cowboys[]

2023 season[]

See also: 2023 Dallas Cowboys season

On August 26, 2023, Lance was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round pick (Malik Mustapha). He was later named the third-string quarterback and was a healthy scratch the whole season.

2024 season[]

See also: 2024 Dallas Cowboys season

On May 1, 2024, the Cowboys declined the fifth-year option on Lance's contract, making him a free agent after the 2024 season. During the preseason, Lance saw the most action at quarterback in place of starter Dak Prescott and backup Cooper Rush. During a 26–19 preseason loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, Lance completed 33 of 49 passes for 323 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted five times.

After Prescott suffered a season-ending injury in Week 9, Lance was elevated to the backup role behind Rush. He made his Cowboys regular season debut the following week against the Philadelphia Eagles, replacing an ineffective Rush in the fourth quarter. In his first regular season action since 2022, Lance completed four of six passes for 21 yards, was sacked on his first play, and threw an interception. The Cowboys started Lance in the season finale against the Washington Commanders, where he had 244 passing yards during the 23–19 loss.

Los Angeles Chargers[]

On April 4, 2025, Lance signed a one-year deal worth up to $2 million with the Los Angeles Chargers.

2025[]

See also: 2025 Los Angeles Chargers season

Lance made his team debut in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game against the Detroit Lions. He finished 13-for-20 passing with 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 34–7 win.

NFL career statistics[]

Legend
Bold	Career high

Year	Team	Games			Passing									Rushing					Sacks		Fumbles
		GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Y/A	Lng	TD	Sck	Yds	Fum	Lost
2021	SF	6	2	1–1	41	71	57.7	603	8.5	76	5	2	97.3	38	168	4.4	15	1	4	15	0	0
2022	SF	2	2	1–1	15	31	48.4	194	6.3	44	0	1	55.0	16	67	4.2	13	0	2	9	1	0
2023	DAL	0	0	–	DNP
2024	DAL	4	1	0–1	25	41	61.0	266	6.5	33	0	1	69.8	11	41	3.7	11	0	4	23	0	0
Career		12	5	2–3	81	143	56.6	1,063	7.4	76	5	4	80.3	65	276	4.2	15	1	10	47	1	0

Personal life[]

Lance is a Christian and was a leader of his local Fellowship of Christian Athletes chapter in high school.[4] His younger brother Bryce, a wide receiver, enrolled at North Dakota State to play for the Bison in 2021.[18]

References[]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Goodbread, Chase (September 30, 2020). How You Like Me Now?.
2. ↑ Carlton Lance (2011).
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Schlabach, Mark (September 30, 2020). Who is Trey Lance? Meet the NFL draft darling playing only once this fall.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Thamel, Pete (September 30, 2020). All eyes on Fargo: How NDSU's Trey Lance became a top NFL prospect.
5. ↑ 2018 Minnesota Player Rankings. CBS INTERACTIVE.
6. ↑ Meet Trey Lance, the best QB you haven't heard of — yet. CBS Interactive.
7. ↑ PREP FOOTBALL: Marshall's Trey Lance signs National Letter of Intent to play football at North Dakota State University. Marshall Independent (December 21, 2017).
8. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 After lone fall game, North Dakota State QB Trey Lance elects to skip spring season, enter NFL draft.
10. ↑ North Dakota State's Trey Lance first freshman to win Walter Payton Award (January 10, 2020).
11. ↑ Bison QB Trey Lance wins Jerry Rice Award.
12. ↑ After lone fall game, North Dakota State QB Trey Lance elects to skip spring season, enter NFL draft. ESPN (October 6, 2020).
13. ↑ 2019 Football Roster - Trey Lance.
14. ↑ 49ers select North Dakota St. quarterback Trey Lance with third overall pick.
15. ↑ 49ers shift focus to Alabama QB Mac Jones, NDSU QB Trey Lance with No. 3 pick (25 April 2021).
16. ↑ Kyle Shanahan Says Trey Lance Was 49ers' Target with No. 3 Pick 'All Along' (29 April 2021).
17. ↑ Quarterback Mac Jones now favorite to be selected third overall by San Francisco 49ers (23 April 2021).
18. ↑ Marshall’s Bryce Lance signs National Letter of Intent to play football at North Dakota State University.

External links[]

• Trey Lance article at Wikipedia
• Dallas Cowboys bio
• North Dakota State Bison bio