Detroit Lions reportedly had interest in trading for QB Trey Lance

Late on Friday, news broke that former first-round pick Trey Lance had been traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick. It was the end of a short era for Lance, who was drafted by the 49ers third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft after the team sent a haul of picks to move up and pick him.

But when the 49ers named Sam Darnold their backup quarterback earlier in the week, it was clear Lance’s future in San Francisco was in jeopardy. The 49ers received a load of calls for the 23-year-old quarterback, and according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, the Detroit Lions were among the teams who made a call.

“The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance,” Russini tweeted on Saturday morning. “In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources. Most of the early discussions about a trade involved a 6th rounder that could get to a 5th. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys offered the best deal.”

The news comes as a mild surprise. Detroit obviously scouted Lance back in 2021 when they had the eighth overall pick—with some potential ammo to move up and get him if they wanted. But having just drafted Hendon Hooker in the third round this year and recently signing Teddy Bridgewater to be the backup, the Lions seem to be in a good spot at quarterback both for the immediate and the future.

That said, it’s clear the Lions were doing due diligence here and were not willing to put significant draft resources into this investment.