Trey Lance has cost $7m per start. Is there any hope of reclaiming a once hyped prospect?

"The development path for young NFL quarterbacks is brutal. They get lobbed in at the deep end as franchises try to figure out if their investment was worth it, before being tossed overboard if things go wrong. The league eats its young. The path from potential franchise starter to career backup or out of the league has never been shorter. And that path has been expedited almost by design."

"In part, that's due to the rookie pay scale, which allows teams to move on from perceived misfires early. It's also down to a shift in evaluations. Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson broke the mold for everyone. They redefined what a starting quarterback could look like, the skills needed, and the speed of development. College offenses had become too wide-open, too gimmicky, producing quarterbacks fluent in college football but not dialed into the mechanics of the NFL."

"So the league tried to fix it itself, drafting the rawest, most athletic prospects imaginable, then worrying about teaching them how to play quarterback later. It ignored that Jackson and Allen (the latter raw, the former not) played in pro-style passing games in college, lessening the learning curve when they entered the league. And trying to find the next Mahomes is like sifting through rec-ball leagues to find the next Victor Wembanyama."

The development path for young NFL quarterbacks is brutal and often rushes prospects into the deep end, resulting in quick cutdowns when results lag. The rookie pay scale enables teams to move on from perceived misfires early. Evaluations shifted after Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson redefined the position, increasing demand for raw athletic traits and faster development. College offenses grew wider and more gimmicky, producing quarterbacks fluent in college schemes but not NFL mechanics. Teams drafted the rawest athletes and attempted to teach quarterback play later, overlooking that top dual-threats often played pro-style systems in college.

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