{
  "id": 10929832,
  "title": "Bad trade acquisition, Cowboys $6M investment is NFL's top draft mistake",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/bad-trade-acquisition-cowboys-6m-investment-is-nfls-top-draft-mistake",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-30T11:31:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bad-trade-acquisition-cowboys-6m-113114913.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Dallas Cowboys have consistently demonstrated a penchant for acquiring underperforming players, often at a significant financial cost, according to reporting. Following the remarkable trade for offensive tackle Marc Colombo, who blossomed into a top-line starter, the team has been drawn to former first-round draft picks who failed to meet expectations in their previous organizations. While Parcells' rationale behind this approach holds merit, it has not yielded the same level of success when applied to other contexts. A prime example of this misstep is the $6 million investment the Cowboys made in quarterback Trey Lance, obtained by trading away a fourth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers. Lance, the No. 3 overall selection in 2021, is now widely regarded as the worst draft mistake of the past decade, based on the price paid by the 49ers. The 49ers' desire to secure a quarterback led them to trade multiple first-round picks and a third-round selection to leapfrog from No. 12 to No. 3. However, their target, Mac Jones, became available at No. 12, prompting head coach Kyle Shanahan to opt for Trey Lance instead. This decision proved detrimental, as Lance struggled to provide competent quarterback play under former head coach Mike McCarthy. Lance was subsequently traded to the Los Angeles Chargers, where he has maintained a dismal 2-4 record as a starter and has thrown five touchdowns and five interceptions in 16 career appearances. The 49ers utilized the fourth-round pick acquired from the Cowboys for safety Malik Mustapha in the 2024 draft.",
  "summary": "A look at the worst draft mistakes of the last 10 years has a Cowboys-related owner of the top spot.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}