5 Cowboys Who Won't Return in 2025 With Season Officially Over

For the first time since 2020, we have a new era for the Dallas Cowboys at head coach. Brian Schottenheimer is taking over for the departed Mike McCarthy, who was allowed to hit coaching free agency at the end of his deal with Dallas.

What's next for this Cowboys roster? What's going to happen in free agency? Which players will stay and which players will go?

With Super Bowl LIX now in the books, the rat race is on for every NFL team to put together its best possible contender for Super Bowl LX and beyond. The Dallas Cowboys have been close to contention in recent years but obviously they've struggled to get over the hump in January. With a healthier and hopefully improved roster in 2025, maybe they can do just that.

But which players definitely won't be around to see it? The writing may be on the wall for a handful of players who won't be back in 2025.

5 Cowboys Players Who Won't Be back With 2024 Season Officially Over

1. Trey Lance, quarterback

There's really no question that Trey Lance is likely to find work elsewhere in 2025. The league has had some success in recent years with reclamation project quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, Sam Darnold in Minnesota, and Geno Smith in Seattle among others. Coaching, situation, and opportunity matters.

You can't blame the Cowboys for going after a player like Lance when they did, given there was some longer-term uncertainty about the status of Dak Prescott with his contract. But now that the contract situation is out of the way, Lance should feel free to walk in free agency and head to a situation where he will have the best chance to develop and perhaps actually play.

I still feel like Lance has the type of talent to be utilized by an NFL coaching staff as an offensive weapon while he develops his skills as a quarterback. Perhaps that will be the case as he hits free agency with starters in demand but seemingly short supply. Teams will still take a shot on his talent, there's no doubt.