Sources -- QB Trey Lance dealt from 49ers to Cowboys for 4th-rounder - ESPN

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Roughly two and a half years after the San Francisco 49ers drafted him to be their franchise quarterback, Trey Lance's time with the team is over.

Sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter that the Niners agreed to trade Lance to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round draft choice on Friday night.

The deal puts a cap on a whirlwind 48 hours in which Lance was informed that Sam Darnold had beaten him out for the No. 2 quarterback job behind starter Brock Purdy, did not participate in Wednesday's practice and then returned to the team facility Thursday morning. Lance was slated to play in San Francisco's exhibition finale against the Los Angeles Chargers on Friday night but instead will head to Dallas to join his new team.

Speaking to KNBR radio Thursday morning, Niners general manager John Lynch said he believed the «most likely» result would be Lance staying in San Francisco. But he also noted that if a deal could be worked out elsewhere, the Niners would accommodate a trade for Lance.

«If we can find a landing spot for Trey that is a really good one for him and works for our organization, that's not something that we'd turn a blind eye to,» Lynch said.

Lance is scheduled to make $940,000 in 2023 and has a $5.3 million salary in 2024, all of which is guaranteed. Upon trading him, the Niners will incur dead money hits of $8,361,434 this year and $5,540,956 in 2024.

After this season, Dallas will get to decide on Lance's fifth-year option for 2025.

Trade talks surrounded Lance all offseason after he suffered a broken right ankle in Week 2 of last season, and Purdy staked his claim to the starting job with a finishing flourish down the stretch.

When the Niners signed Darnold in March, coach Kyle