It is easy to forget, now that the 2023 regular season is near its completion, that the Cowboys came into the year not 100% certain that Dak Prescott is their guy. That was one of the reasons behind what now seems an odd trade, the August Cowboys trade that landed Trey Lance in Dallas from San Francisco. If Prescott disappointed, Lance’s presence could at least be used as insurance in contract talks with Prescott, who is due an extension.
The fact that Prescott responded with an MVP-caliber season is the happiest of outcomes for the Cowboys, but it leaves a minor problem for Dallas: What to do with Lance, who is owed $5.3 million guaranteed? It’s not a huge cap hit, of course, but Dallas will be scrounging for dollars in 2024, and $5.3 million is a lot to pay a third-stringer (assuming Cooper Rush stays put).
A Cowboys trade of Lance would be a surprise. He’s not a hot commodity at this point. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but the guy has not played a snap all season and has not been on an NFL field since September 2022.
But at Spotrac, in an article that predicts “quarterback resolutions for 2024,” contract expert Mike Ginnitti sees a team desperate enough to give Lance a chance: the Denver Broncos, perhaps the one team that might take the small-risk, high-reward gamble on Lance. Don’t expect much of a return, though. Ginnitti sees a Cowboys trade of Lance netting only a draft-pick swap.
Trey Lance to Make $5.3 Million Guaranteed
Again, as Ginnitti notes, the Prescott contract is the headliner, and the prediction is that he will get a mind-boggling $60 million per year.
“Prescott enters a contract year in 2024, set to earn $34M against a $59.5M cap hit. He mathematically projects to a 4 year, $200M extension, but Dallas probably needs to get closer to $60M per year to convince Dak to extend early,” he wrote.
But the situation behind Prescott carries some intrigue, too. “Cooper Rush holds a non-guaranteed $2.25M for 2024, but Trey Lance (remember him?) carries a fully guaranteed $5.3M salary next season. Is he poised to be Prescott’s backup, or will Dallas need to shuffle a few pieces in the coming months?” Ginnitti wondered.
Then he answered his own question with the prediction: “THE COWBOYS TRADE TREY LANCE TO DENVER FOR A LATE ROUND PICK SWAP.”
Cowboys Trade With Broncos Could Be Best Option
That would be a disappointing return for a player that cost the Cowboys a fourth-round pick which, in retrospect, was a high price to pay for a bit of Prescott insurance, especially considering there is no way to get rid of Lance’s money without a trade. Still, if Dallas can make the late-round pick swap, say, a fifth-rounder from Denver for a sixth-rounder then perhaps some face could be saved.
But with the Broncos having benched Russell Wilson, with a presumed divorce from the erstwhile star up next, Denver is badly in need of a cost-effective reboot at the position. Career backup Jarred Stidham will start from here, and could be auditioning for the job next season. Former Cowboys backup Ben DiNucci is the Broncos’ third-stringer.
There aren’t many teams that are a natural fit for a Trey Lance-Cowboys trade, but Denver is the most prominent.
