October 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance (15) watches warm ups before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Trey Lance is [running out of options](https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/will-former-49ers-trey-lance-go-canadian-football-league).
He clearly wants to stay in the NFL, but no team seems to want him as their starter or their backup or even their project third-stringer. And that's because he hasn't played much since he was 19. His development has been horribly derailed.
Covid wiped out all but one of his college games in 2020. And since 2021, he has thrown a grand total of 143 passes. And his passer rating is a respectable 80.3. And he's a dual threat. And his NFL career might be over before he turns 25. What a shame.
But his football story doesn't have to end in tragedy. Steve Young wasn't a successful NFL quarterback when he was 24. Neither was Jeff Garcia. In fact, Garcia went undrafted and then played in the CFL from 1994 to 1998. Then, he went on to play 11 seasons in the NFL.
Lance should call Garcia and ask him about how the CFL saved his career. I'm guessing Garcia would tell him that he never would have gotten a chance to play in the NFL if he hadn't proven himself in Canada first.
Despite all of Lance's talent, he hasn't proven that he can play quarterback consistently well because he simply hasn't played much the past five years. In retrospect, he probably should have stayed in college and transferred to another school.
But he can't change the past. All he can do is what's best for him now, and that's playing football wherever he can.