But maybe to the credit of the Dallas Cowboys, they did give it one more try.

Just 18 months and one regular-season start after the Dallas Cowboys’ surprising trade for him, the former No. 3 overall draft pick is officially not in the team’s future plans.

COO Stephen Jones said this week from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that the team expects Lance to leave in free agency – and that the Cowboys are hoping to pick a developmental quarterback in April’s NFL Draft to replace him.

“We took a shot on Trey, and wanted to do that,” Jones said. “We think the world of Trey. But us having Dak Prescott signed up for the long-term, I think he’s probably going to be looking for something different.”

But there is another wrinkle here.

The Cowboys traded a fourth-round draft choice to the 49ers for Lance just before the 2023 season opener. … and then never quite got around to discovering whether he could play.

After sitting out most of 2023, Lance got his chance to supplant Cooper Rush as Prescott’s backup in 2024. But in the preseason finale he threw five interceptions, and was underwhelming in his only start in the teams’ last regular-season game.

He completed 20 of 34 passes for 244 yards and rushed for 26 in the 23-19 loss to the Washington.

But there is this scoop from NFL.com: Lance, who did show flashes of his athleticism and elusiveness as a runner but was inconsistent as a thrower, was approached late in the season by the front office and was presented with an offer of a contract extension.

Lance – choosing to bet on himself via free agency, which opens March 12 – declined the proposal.

We don’t know the numbers involved, but even if it was a low-ball try … it constitutes an effort of some sort. That’s something.

But now Dallas moves on.

“I think one of our goals is to get a young quarterback in the draft,” Jones said. “I don’t know where that’s going to be. … They always go so much higher than what you think.”

Under rookie head coach Brian Schottenheimer, the $60 Million Man Prescott will be the starter. He could be backed up again by Cooper Rush, though Jones is suggesting that might be a pricy proposition.

“You know how much we think of Cooper,” Jones said. “We just don’t know what he’s going to cost. When we’re paying Dak what we’re paying him, unfortunately we do have to go cheap there.”

As we’ve noted before Will Grier is also on the roster. Could he be a viable No. 2, with a rookie pick as the No. 3 guy?

One more item here: NFL.com is also insisting that there could be multiple teams bidding on Lance in free agency.

Said Tom Pelissero: “There were multiple teams .. trying to trade for Trey Lance (when Dallas did so, who is still only 24 years old … There is going to be interest in Trey Lance as a developmental player in this cycle.”