Trey Lance

Lance was raised in Marshall, Minnesota, by his parents, Carlton and Angie Lance. Athletic competition was a central part of his upbringing, with his father, a former professional cornerback who played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League and the London Monarchs in the World League of American Football, serving as his primary trainer. His younger brother, Bryce Lance, also went on to play collegiate football at North Dakota State before joining the New Orleans Saints as a wide receiver. Lance is an Evangelical Christian and served as a chapter leader for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes during his high school years.

Lance began playing running back in youth football before transitioning to quarterback during middle school. At Marshall High School, he established himself as one of Minnesota's top quarterback prospects. Although he initially drew recruiting interest from Power Five college football programs such as the University of Minnesota, several major programs evaluated him as a defensive back or wide receiver. Lance chose to remain at quarterback, committing to North Dakota State University in December 2017.

Lance redshirted his first year at North Dakota State in 2018, appearing in two games and scoring two rushing touchdowns. He took over as the full-time starting quarterback for the 2019 campaign, leading the Bison to a 16-0 record and the FCS national championship. In the title game against James Madison, Lance earned Most Outstanding Player honors following a 28-20 victory. Over the course of the 2019 season, he completed 192 of 287 passes for 2,786 yards and 28 touchdowns without throwing a single interception, setting an NCAA record for the most pass attempts in a season without an interception. He also added 1,100 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground.

His performance in 2019 earned him the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS, making him the first freshman to receive the honor, along with the Jerry Rice Award as the top FCS freshman. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, North Dakota State's 2020 fall season was reduced to a single showcase game against Central Arkansas in October 2020. After throwing two touchdown passes, running for two scores, and throwing the only interception of his college career in that contest, Lance opted out of the rescheduled spring season to prepare for the NFL draft.

The San Francisco 49ers traded three first-round draft picks and a third-round pick to the Miami Dolphins to move up and select Lance with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He entered his rookie year as the backup to Jimmy Garoppolo, making his debut in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, where his first career pass resulted in a five-yard touchdown to Trent Sherfield. Lance made his first career start in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals after Garoppolo suffered an injury, throwing for 192 yards and rushing for 89 yards in a 17-10 defeat. He earned his first NFL victory as a starter in Week 17 against the Houston Texans, throwing for 249 yards and two touchdowns in a 23-7 win.

Lance was designated as the 49ers' primary starting quarterback entering the 2022 season. After starting the season opener against the Chicago Bears, his season was cut short during Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks when he suffered a severe ankle fracture that required two surgeries. During his recovery, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy emerged as the starter, and Lance entered the 2023 offseason competing for backup positioning before being traded.

On August 26, 2023, the 49ers traded Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft. Lance spent his first season in Dallas as the inactive third-string quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. In 2024, he was elevated to the primary backup role following an injury to Prescott, appearing in relief against the Philadelphia Eagles and making a start in the regular-season finale against the Washington Commanders, where he threw for 244 yards.

Lance signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in April 2025 to serve as the backup to Justin Herbert. He made his first start for the franchise in the final week of the 2025 regular season against the Denver Broncos while Herbert rested for the postseason, completing 20 passes and leading the team with 69 rushing yards. In March 2026, Lance agreed to a one-year contract extension to remain with the Chargers.