The Los Angeles Chargers have agreed on a deal to sign Trey Lance on a one-year deal. NFL insider Adam Schefter broke the news on social media, announcing that Lance was joining Justin Herbert and Taylor Heinicke in Los Angeles for the 2025 NFL season.
Trey Lance Agrees to 1-Year, $6.2 Million Deal With the Chargers
Lance has a new home. After being drafted third overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL Draft, Lance has struggled to live up to the hype that followed him out of college. Lance has started just five NFL games in the four years since he was drafted, and the hope that he would develop into an NFL starting quarterback quickly dwindled.
Nevertheless, Lance will get an opportunity to practice alongside veterans Herbert and Heinicke in 2025 after agreeing on a contract with the Chargers. The one-year deal is worth up to $6.2 million, a significant percentage of which is likely incentive-based.
ESPN sources: former Cowboys and 49ers QB Trey Lance reached agreement today on a one-year deal worth up to $6.2 million with the Los Angeles Chargers. Lance and Taylor Heinicke are now behind starting QB Justin Herbert. pic.twitter.com/CaOZiWMLPa
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 4, 2025
While Lance could be the third-choice quarterback for the team in 2025, the move offers him another chance to prove himself. Heinicke is also a free agent in 2026, so if he can do enough in practice, there’s always a chance that he could carve out a backup role beyond 2025.
Another Lifeline for Lance
After being traded to the Dallas Cowboys in August 2023, Lance played in four games for the team, starting one. In his last three NFL starts, dating back to 2022, Lance has thrown two interceptions and zero touchdowns. Those aren’t the kind of numbers that teams will pay millions of dollars for, but draft capital talks.
Lance’s 2019 season at North Dakota State also shows his promise. That year, his first as the team’s starter, he led the team to a perfect season and was the MVP in the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship. Lance threw for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns, with zero interceptions, while adding 1,100 yards and 14 scores on the ground.
The chances of Lance turning his career around at this stage are incredibly slim. But as long as teams need backup quarterbacks, they will be willing to gamble on Lance’s once-mouth-watering potential.
While the fact that he is on a team at all will likely be a relief for Lance, it’s unlikely to amount to anything. Herbert, while the team’s beloved franchise quarterback, is also not known for missing time. Despite the punishment he takes at times when running with the ball, Herbert has missed just four games in the last four years, all in 2023.