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Jerry Jones walking

The Dallas Cowboys don’t have a reason to bring Trey Lance back in free agency. However, after moving assets to land him in 2023, and Cooper Rush on the free agency market, too, keeping the former first-round pick might not be out of the question just yet.

The Cowboys need to land a better backup quarterback if that becomes an issue, especially with Dak Prescott coming off an injury. For Lance, he hasn’t proven enough during his time in the league to be that guy the Cowboys need.

Perhaps that’s due to a lack of opportunity, but he’s had a very average career in the NFL, to say the least.

A No. 3 pick in 2021, there might be a team willing to take a chance on him if the Cowboys cut ties with the youngster in free agency. Matthew Holleran of SB Nation predicted that to be the case, predicting the Cowboys would allow him to walk and Lance would sign with the New York Jets.

“When the Cowboys traded for Trey Lance back in August 2023, the move made little to no sense. Today, the same thing rings true, and his time in Dallas has almost certainly come to an end.

“With all Dallas’ other needs to address this offseason, it’s hard to see them allocating even a small amount of cap space to bring back Lance and have him serve as their backup or third-string quarterback. To make a Lance return even more unlikely, Dallas’ long-time backup quarterback, Cooper Rush, is also a free agent this offseason,” Holleran wrote.

Teams Have Shown Interest in Lance

There are many teams around the NFL that need a quarterback. The Dallas Cowboys, luckily, aren’t one of them.

Lance should find a home mainly because of all the teams that need a quarterback. Whether that’s as a backup with the Cowboys or a chance to start with a team like the New York Jets, someone will sign him.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, there’s interest from teams around the league, including the Indianapolis Colts, who have had their own quarterback issues in recent years.

“As the Colts look for veteran quarterback options, names on their radar include Daniel Jones, Justin Fields, Trey Lance and Jacoby Brissett. This is a mix of quarterbacks who can support Anthony Richardson and guys who will be looking to start games somewhere. I’ve heard Jones’ name more than once in regards to the Colts.

“Indianapolis has not given up on Richardson, but how the team approaches the free agency period will be telling,” Fowler wrote.

Why Jets and Colts Make Sense for Lance

Unlike the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts aren’t expected to win in 2025. The Cowboys are always expected to win, as that’s what they’ve done throughout much of their existence.

For the Jets, they don’t have a serviceable quarterback option, and the Colts might not love what they have in their own youngster.

Lance would have a chance to play for either team, giving him a reason to at least take a short-term deal with either if it becomes available to show the league he’s better than what he’s been throughout his young career.

Jon Conahan covers the NBA and NFL for Heavy.com. Since 2019, his sports coverage has appeared at Sports Illustrated, oddschecker, ClutchPoints and Sportskeeda. More about Jon Conahan