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Photo courtesy: Ty Nowell/Los Angeles Chargers
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have removed NFL quarterback Trey Lance from their negotiation list, surrendering his exclusive CFL rights.
Lance was added to the Riders’ neg list in March, when he was still an NFL free agent. He later signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and has had an impressive preseason, going 27-of-49 passing for 296 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 81 yards and another score. He is slated to start the team’s final preseason game on Saturday and has a real chance to unseat Taylor Heinicke for the team’s backup job.
The 25-year-old looks unlikely to come to the CFL any time soon, prompting this move by the Riders. All eight other franchises are now free to grab his rights if they so choose.
Lance was originally selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, with the San Francisco 49ers trading up to get him. He started just four games during two seasons in the Bay Area, completing 54.9 percent of his passes for 797 yards with five touchdowns against three interceptions while rushing 54 times for 235 yards, 4.4 per carry, with one touchdown.
The dual-threat QB suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 during the 2022 season after winning the starting job out of training camp over Jimmy Garoppolo. In Week 13, Garoppolo suffered a foot injury, and Brock Purdy got a chance to start. Purdy finished the season with a 5-0 record and led San Francisco to the NFC Championship Game, which made Lance expendable.
The 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in August 2023. He was the third-string QB for that entire season and did not see game action.
The six-foot-four, 226-pound signal caller started the final game of the Cowboys’ season in 2024. He completed 20-of-34 passes for 244 yards with no touchdowns versus one interception while rushing six times for 26 yards, 4.3 per carry, in a 23-19 loss to the Washington Commanders.
Through 12 NFL games, the Marshall, Minn. native has completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 1,063 yards with five touchdowns against four interceptions while rushing 65 times for 276 yards, 4.2 per carry, with one touchdown. He’s posted a 2-3 win-loss record as a starter over four seasons in the NFL, while earning approximately $34 million USD.
Lance played his collegiate football at North Dakota State University. He completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards with 28 touchdowns against zero interceptions while rushing 169 times for 1,100 yards, 6.5 per carry, with 14 touchdowns. He led the Bison to an NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision National Championship in 2019, producing an undefeated 16-0 record.
That year was capped off by Lance winning the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS and the Jerry Rice Award as the best freshman in the FCS.
Lance’s father, Carlton, played 13 games for the Riders in 1993, recording 34 defensive tackles, nine special teams tackles, three interceptions, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, and two defensive touchdowns.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-1) will visit the Calgary Stampeders (6-3) at McMahon Stadium on Saturday, August 23 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Roughriders are coming off a 29-9 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while the Stampeders were on a bye.
The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 23 degrees with clear conditions. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 620 CKRM in Regina and 770 CHQR in Calgary.