Stephen Jones on trade for Trey Lance: I don’t regret that at all

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said after Monday night’s loss to the Texans that he doesn’t have a desire to see Trey Lance before the end of the season. The Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for the quarterback, and Lance, who has yet to start a game in Dallas, becomes a free agent in March.

The trade likely will go down as one of the worst in team history.

49ers General Manager John Lynch admitted his team got more for Lance than expected.

San Francisco used the 124th overall pick on safety Malik Mustapha, who has played 10 games with six starts, but the Cowboys could have drafted a running back at that spot. Bucs rookie Bucky Irving (125th overall), 49ers rookie Isaac Guerendo (129th overall) and Jets rookie Braelon Allen (134th overall) all have had success this season.

Yet, the Cowboys would do it all over again.

For the first time, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted the uncertainty with Dak Prescott’s future spurred the trade in August 2023.

The Cowboys didn’t sign Prescott to a contract extension until a year later.

“[Lance] is a top-tier pick, a guy we had at the top,” Stephen Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Friday. “As you know, Dak was coming up for a contract, and we wanted to take a look at a good, young talent and didn’t feel like we could get anything from a quality standpoint like we could get with Trey. As it turns out, we ended up signing Dak long-term. So, obviously that puts a little less need in terms of having to rush to do something with Trey. Matter of fact, it makes it hard because Trey, I’m sure, is wanting to see what’s out there now that we have committed to Dak long-term. But I don’t regret that at all.”

Jerry Jones said Cooper Rush will continue playing because he gives the Cowboys (3-7) the best chance to win with Prescott out for the season with a torn hamstring. So, Lance will continue to sit and then likely leave without ever starting a regular-season game.

The Cowboys will have given up a fourth-round pick and paid him $6.25 million for two seasons of nothing.