Raiders’ Jimmy Garoppolo happy Trey Lance ‘gets another opportunity’ after Cowboys trade

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The San Francisco 49ers moved on from Trey Lance last week after Sam Darnold was named the backup quarterback to Brock Purdy. 

Lance’s time in San Francisco was a major disappointment after the 49ers traded three first-round draft picks in order to select him with the third pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass against the Denver Broncos at Levi's Stadium on Aug. 19, 2023, in Santa Clara, California. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)

Lance suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season after appearing in six games during his rookie campaign. 

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He spent most of 2021 behind Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game. 

Garoppolo, who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders, weighed in on the Lance trade to the Dallas Cowboys, shortly after the Raiders faced the Cowboys in the preseason. 

"Just happy he gets this opportunity man. This league, how things go is weird," Garoppolo told Fox News Digital. "Everyone has their own story of how they’ve got certain places, but I’m just glad he gets another opportunity. He’s earned it. He’s a good player, he deserves it. I know that weird situation in San Francisco just didn’t work out how it wanted to, but I’m always pulling for him. He’s a brother of mine and always pulling for him."

Jimmy Garoppolo of the Las Vegas Raiders before a preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 26, 2023, in Arlington, Texas. (Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was asked whether he was surprised the organization made the move following a 31-16 win over the Raiders.

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"You've been in this league eight years, been on this team, it's hard to say that I was surprised to be honest with you," Prescott said of the trade. 

Garoppolo, who was traded by the New England Patriots to the 49ers in 2017, said having younger guys trying to take starting spots is part of the NFL. 

"I think that’s just the nature of the beast. It’s a competitive league," he told Fox News Digital. "We all have guys pushing us. There’s always a younger guy who wants to take your spot. That’s just how it goes. We were all that younger guy at one point and you grow up. You got to have perspective on everything, you got to understand the ranks of the NFL, and just gotta keep pushing forward." 

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday that Lance said he wanted to go to an organization that gave him the opportunity to be the backup quarterback.

Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers on the sideline during the preseason game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Aug. 22, 2021, in Inglewood, California. (Harry How/Getty Images)

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"When we told Trey, when we told him that he wasn’t the two [quarterback], I said we’d like to keep him here as the three. But we also want to do what’s good for him, too," Shanahan told reporters. 

"And when we looked into other teams, and he told us that he would like another opportunity to go somewhere where he had a chance to be the No. 2," Shanahan continued. "we thought we got some good deals for him. There was a number of teams involved. To end up getting the fourth was a little better than we anticipated and clears up a lot of money and allows a better situation for him, too." 

Lance is expected to be the third-string quarterback in Dallas, according to NFL Network.