A few years ago, the San Francisco 49ers thought that they had found their quarterback of the future in Trey Lance.
Lance, who was taken with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, was considered a raw draft prospect coming out of North Dakota State. However, San Francisco fans were tantalized by the idea of Lance’s upside and dual-threat skills in a Kyle Shanahan offense.
That said, 49ers fans’ dream never materialized as Lance only made four starts (played in eight games) before San Francisco GM John Lynch sent the young QB packing to Dallas. In his two years with Dallas, the former first-round pick showed flashes in the preseason last year and in the Cowboys’ regular season finale, but couldn’t put it together.
Despite that, Lance still got another opportunity this offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers. However, it's not a guarantee that the ex-49ers quarterback makes LA’s 53-man roster this summer.
In case things do not work out for Lance in Los Angeles, the former first-round pick has another professional football opportunity waiting for him.
Ex-49ers QB Trey Lance Appears on CFL’s Negotiation List
On Wednesday, the CFL unveiled its negotiation list to the public for the first time, which will be updated. The negotiation list gives nine CFL teams exclusive negotiation rights for players who are currently unsigned or playing in the NFL, college football, or another pro football league.
The nine teams of the Canadian Football League have made their Negotiation Lists fully public for the first time.
— CFL (@CFL) July 2, 2025
💻: https://t.co/WWMt4raULu pic.twitter.com/w6YlalLLqt
Former San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance was among the multiple quarterbacks on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ negotiation list. We were privy to information about Lance back in March from TSN’s Dave Naylor.
The @sskroughriders 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 @sskroughriders cornerback. https://t.co/Dzv7K3PjYk
— Dave Naylor (@TSNDaveNaylor) March 26, 2025
It’s not shocking to see the Roughriders have Lance on their negotiation list, as the young QB hasn’t found his footing yet in the NFL. For a former first-round pick, Lance is already playing for his third team.
With his style of playing under center, Lance could be fun to watch in the CFL, in the same vein as Tre Ford with the Edmonton Elks. However, the former 49ers signal-caller will likely exhaust all his NFL options before considering the CFL.