Detroit Lions general Manager Brad Holmes refuted a report that he contacted the 49ers about a possible trade for QB Trey Lance.

Last week, The Athletic reported that the Detroit Lions were among four different teams interested in former first-round quarterback Trey Lance.

“The Buffalo Bills and the Baltimore Ravens are two teams that had conversations with San Francisco about a possible trade for Trey Lance,” Dianna Russini tweeted last Saturday. “In the NFC, the Detroit Lions also showed interest, per sources. Most of the early discussions about a trade involved a 6th rounder that could get to a 5th. In the end, the Dallas Cowboys offered the best deal.”

On Friday during his post-roster cuts press conference, Lions general manager Brad Holmes essentially refuted that report.

“But the Trey Lance thing, in particular, I had never reached out,” Holmes said. “I never inquired about the player or anything. Because I think the report was us and some other teams were in that group of being interested, but I never actively pursued the player. So I can’t speak to the accuracy of those reports.”

The Lions seemed like an awkward fit for Lance anyway. They recently signed veteran Teddy Bridgewater to act as the primary backup to Jared Goff, and in April, they drafted Hendon Hooker in the third round to be the team’s long-term developmental option. Lance, who has started just four career games, likely would have been Detroit’s third quarterback, and may not have stuck around once the Lions were ready to activate Hooker from the Non-Football Injury list.

Lance ended up being traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2024 fourth-round pick.

Despite denying the report, Holmes did reiterate that it is his job to explore every opportunity he can to improve the roster.

“It’s always my job to turn over every stone, and (there are) so many players that are discussed within the league that aren’t reported on—interest here or there,” Holmes said.