Is Trey Lance an ‘NFL Bust’ after CFL side Roughriders list him as a potential QB candidate?

Trey Lance's chances of playing NFL football is fading fast and he is inching closer to being bust unless he signs for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL to carve out a return to America.

Is Trey Lance an ‘NFL Bust’ after CFL side Roughriders list him as a potential QB candidate?

Trey Lance (Image via IMAGO)

Fans still debate whether Trey Lance is an NFL bust or another casualty of the unpredictable life of pro football. The debates are about to become fiercer after a Canadian football team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, added the 49ers and Cowboys quarterback to their negotiation list.

When the Cowboys’ backup QB, Cooper Rush, signed with the Baltimore Ravens, many believed Lance would take his place. Jerry Jones had something else in mind. They released Lance not long after Rush, ending his two-year stint in Arlington.

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However, Lance struggled to find a new team. While veterans such as Tim Boyle and Jameis Winston signed contracts with NFL teams, Lance remained stranded in the free agency market. 

Meanwhile, a football team north of the border has thrown its name in to sign the North Dakota State graduate. According to TSN Football insider David Naylor, The Saskatchewan Roughriders added Trey Lance to their negotiation list.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders added QB Trey Lance—the #3 overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft—to their negotiation list on Monday of this week. Lance’s father, Carlton, is a former Roughrider cornerback.

David Naylor reported

The news arrived a couple of days after the 49ers beat writer for Sports Illustrated, Grant Cohn, advised Lance to consider retirement. Lance made an estimated $34 million from his contracts with the 49ers and the Cowboys.

If retirement is an option, then the second option is playing for a CFL (Canadian Football League) team and continuing his progress instead of sitting on the bench for his third NFL team.

[Trey Lance] simply hasn’t been developed properly. And he won’t be developed properly in practice. The only way he’ll reach his full potential is by playing real games, and he probably won’t get that opportunity in the NFL. That’s why Lance should play in the Canadian Football League.

Grant Cohn wrote

Is Trey Lance a bust?

Usually, fans throw around the word ‘bust’ too casually- any athlete whom the NFL rejects or who fails to make much impact despite his draft pick or the globe-trotter (someone who moves teams quite often).

Is Trey Lance an 'NFL Bust' after CFL side Roughriders list him as a potential QB candidate?
Trey Lance (Image via IMAGO)

It’s too early to consider Lance a bust. Lance signing with a CFL team doesn’t make him an instant bust, but fans can label him as a draft bust. And it’s not entirely his fault.

The 49ers drafted Lance 3rd overall in 2021 over players such as Ohio State’s Justin Fields or Alabama’s Mac Jones. Compared to the other two, who went to more famous FBS schools, Lance was part of FCS College North Dakota State. On top of it, he only played one full season for the Bisons before announcing for the draft.

Kyle Shanahan later said they didn’t want to pass up on Lance.

If we [49ers] wouldn’t have [drafted Trey Lance], somebody else was going to eventually, and that price is only going to go up. That was a decision that we all had to make. Me, John [Lynch], and Jed [York], and once we did, we never really looked back, and what changed was, I think, the feeling of when you go through that stuff.

Kyle Shanahan said on the Rich Eisen Show

Shanahan placed Lance behind Jimmy Garoppolo to learn from the veteran. Lance hurt his finger during the final pre-season game against the Raiders. He threw 18 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns and rushed seven times for 41 yards in week 4 loss to the Seahawks but showed promise.

However, a sprained ankle the following week poured water over Shanahan’s plans. The following season, Lance lasted just two games after suffering a season-ending ankle injury. He underwent surgery and lost his place on the roster.

The last overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft, Brock Purdy took over and owned the quarterback position. Purdy led the 49ers to consecutive NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl berth. The success of Purdy pushed Lance out of the 49ers, and he ended up in Dallas, where he was third string.

In four years, Lance only threw 143 passes, and it may stay that way unless he makes it back to the league somehow.

Lance is a victim of circumstance

It’s tough to handle the NFL environment, and more players drop out than regularly play for more than seven or eight seasons. Lance made a mistake by announcing for the draft after just one season of college football. Many college quarterbacks stay in the NCAA competition for four or even five years (Bo Nix) before switching to the NFL.

Shanahan and the 49ers knew Lance was a raw prospect and required time, but constant injuries and the surprise emergence of Purdy sidelined his growth. Moving to Dallas wasn’t the right move either because the Cowboys aren’t exactly famous for developing young quarterbacks.

Lance’s situation is not too dissimilar from ex-Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg. The Penn State graduate was drafted by the Big Apple franchise, but he barely ever played before leaving the NFL altogether a few years later.

New York [Jets] was probably the last place I should’ve gone, in terms of the market and the expectations. [In my rookie year] we ended up keeping four quarterbacks [Smith, Fitzpatrick, and Bryce Petty]. So, there was just not a lot of opportunity [for me].

Christian Hackenberg said on the Ross Tucker podcast.

Don’t lose hope, Trey Lance

A move to the Canadian league to play for the Roughriders isn’t a bad suggestion or move for Trey Lance. Players in the past have made it big in the NFL by proving themselves in the CFL.

The biggest name that comes to mind is that of quarterback Warren Moon. Feared of being a late-round pick due to racial bias, Moon signed with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1978.

Moon won the Grey Cup (equivalent to the Super Bowl) five times and was MVP twice before the Houston Oilers (Tennessee Titans) took a chance and signed the graduate from Washington. He was a 9x Pro Bowler while starting for the Vikings, Seahawks, and Chiefs. The NFL inducted him into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006.

Former Buccaneers and Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia signed with the Calgary Stampede, where he played for four seasons before signing his NFL contract with the 49ers in 1999. Garcia was a 4x Pro Bowler before hanging up his boots.

Trey Lance is just 24 years old and has plenty of time ahead of him to get back up on his feet. Moving to the CFL can be a stepping stone to a comeback in the NFL.