One former wide receiver, known for his outlandish takes, uncorked a wild one regarding the Los Angeles Chargers’ free agent quarterback signing. Life in the NFL is cyclical. What happened a decade or more ago will probably occur in a similar manner today.
Every offseason, teams will attempt to improve by signing free agents. Now, some of them will capture attention and raise eyebrows, while others fly under the radar. One position stands above all others when it pertains to adding free agents. The former All-Pro wideout recently made a head-scratching assertion.
Los Angeles Chargers’ QB Situation Compared to Famous Position Battle by Dez Bryant
Through his somewhat stellar, often newsworthy career, Dez Bryant made a name for himself by speaking out. Now retired, the former Dallas Cowboys standout makes his opinion frequently known on social media. Like many former players, Bryant sees parallels in recent events that mirror stories that happened when he played.
In this tweet, he discussed the Chargers’ quarterback situation.
Kaepernick and Alexis Smith situation all over again https://t.co/y1SdbTDc59
— Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) June 7, 2025
“Kaepernick and Alexis Smith situation all over again”
Now, we need to assume that he meant former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith. Autocorrect remains the bane of the world’s existence. Bryant really sees the team signing veteran Trey Lance as a parallel situation to the 49ers’ situation with Smith and Colin Kaepernick.
First, in 2011, Smith led San Francisco to an appearance in the NFC Championship game, losing by three to the New York Giants. The Chargers, under Herbert, have not won a playoff game in two tries. Next, Los Angeles extended his deal back in 2023, inking him to a five-year, 262.5-million-dollar deal, according to Spotrac.
In 2012, the 49ers signed Smith to a three-year, $24 million contract when he became a free agent. The team wanted to bring in Peyton Manning, as stated in the NBC Bay Area piece by Andy Lindquist. Manning signed with the Broncos. Not to mention, that Kaepernick only played because Smith suffered a concussion in the game against the St. Louis Rams. To that point, San Francisco boasted a record of 6-2-1.
Bryant’s parallels veer off the commonsense track in discussing the Kaepernick/Trey Lance comparison. The 49ers drafted Kaepernick with the 36th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, a lofty pick, but nothing too earth-shattering.
Meanwhile, nine years later, the same team sent three first-round picks (2021, 2022, and 2023) and a third-round selection (2022) to the Miami Dolphins in order to secure Lance with the third-overall pick. Comparing a high first-round selection to a second-rounder ventures far beyond apples and oranges.
Also, Bryant seemingly forgets a couple of details about Lance. He started in exactly four games during his career in the Bay Area, compiling a 2-2 record. He threw for 797 yards, completing 54.9% of his passes with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
Most importantly, a last pick in the 2022 draft, Brock Purdy, ended up taking his starting spot. San Francisco traded him to Dallas in 2023. Lance did not play at all during the 2023 season, sitting as a healthy scratch. Last year, he started one game and lost before leaving as a free agent.
With all of that said, on the field, Herbert, athletically, is far closer to Kaepernick and Lance than Smith ever was. Despite his frame (6’6″, 236 pounds), he displays excellent mobility, averaging 262 rushing yards and three touchdowns per season.
As for arm talent, Lance cannot spin the ball the way Herbert can. If he could, either the 49ers or Cowboys would’ve locked him up on a deal with a shot to start. Instead, Mr. Irrelevant and Cooper Rush supplanted him as a viable option.
Granted, Lance just turned 25. As a result, he still possesses ample time to figure things out as a quarterback. However, any thought that he will take over as the starting quarterback for the Chargers does not make any sense. The team built itself around Herbert before Harbaugh arrived and committed a small fortune to keep him with the organization. You’d need to be Plastic-Man to match the reach that Bryant tried.