The intrigue in the Cowboys’ QB room goes well beyond starter Dak Prescott and a possible extension that may or may not make him the league’s first-ever $60 million-per-year player.
There’s also the question of what the team will do behind Prescott, with longtime backup Cooper Rush and 2023 acquisition Trey Lance expected to battle for the No. 2 spot this summer.
Unless, of course, something were to change dramatically before then.
And, oh, the potential for that is most definitely there.
Lance’s name has been trending in recent days thanks to a post-combine report from Rich Eisen, who said earlier this week that the third overall draft pick in 2021 is “a possible solve at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings,” based on chatter he heard in Indianapolis.
The 23-year-old Lance is a Minnesota native with just eight games’ worth of NFL experience, but he could be an intriguing project for Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, himself a former quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator who has helped develop Kirk Cousins in both Washington and Minnesota and Jared Goff with the Rams. He also helped guide Los Angeles to a Super Bowl win with Matthew Stafford under center.
With Cousins now expected to be the top passer available in free agency and already thought by some to be primed to sign with Atlanta, O’Connell and the Vikings could be faced with: bringing aboard a new veteran quarterback in free agency, adding a highly-rated college prospect via the draft, or trading for someone currently on another team’s roster.
The Cowboys have already picked up Lance’s $4.25 million bonus, due five days after training camp starts in July. But they’ve also made it known they won’t pick up his far pricier fifth-year bonus for 2025.
That’s like putting out a sign for the rest of the league that the Cowboys are willing to at listen to trade offers, though owner Jerry Jones has raved about Lance and his “unique skills” since giving up a fourth-round draft pick to obtain him in late August.
“The arrow’s really up,” Jones told reporters in Indianapolis over the weekend. “He’s exceeded expectations as a person, as a worker.”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the “arrow is really up” on backup QB Trey Lance. “He’s exceeded expectations as a person, as a worker.” Lance to compete with Cooper Rush for No. 2 job behind Dak Prescott. “He’s very much what we had planned on, hoped when we gave the pick.” pic.twitter.com/Ik80bcFqJZ
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) March 2, 2024
The former North Dakota State product has thrown just 102 NFL passes. He spent the 2023 season in Dallas learning Mike McCarthy’s offense and serving as the team’s emergency third quarterback.
“He’s very much what we had planned on, hoped,” Jones confirmed. “When we gave the pick, we knew we would be paying the bonus right now. That was a part of the same decision. That’s been reinforced by what he’s been with the team and the person he is, potentially the player.”
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And while Jones answered a question about whether he expects Lance to compete with seven-year veteran Rush to be Prescott’s primary understudy with an unqualified “yes,” he would almost certainly at least consider flipping the two-time FCS champion and high-potential project player for an early enough selection in this year’s draft.
Of course, Jones could, at least theoretically, choose to stand pat on all three of his passers. Without an extension for the MVP runner-up, every Cowboys quarterback- Prescott, Rush, and Lance- could be in a contract year in 2024.
Drama in Big D, indeed.
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