Vikings Urged to Trade for Cowboys QB to Replace Kirk Cousins

Getty Quarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings were dealt a devastating blow to their season with Kirk Cousins suffering an Achilles injury in a Week 8 win over the Green Bay Packers.

After an 0-3 start to the season, Minnesota appeared to be turning a corner with Cousins at the helm of the offense. The Vikings clinched convincing wins over the Packers (24-10) and the San Francisco 49ers (22-17) in back-to-back weeks with the defense beginning to complement Cousins and the offense.

It’s yet to be confirmed whether Cousins will miss the rest of the season, but after weeks of encouraging play, the locker room morale was zapped despite coming away with a victory at Lambeau Field. The future of the season is in doubt without the franchise’s quarterback — prompting many pundits to urge the Vikings to find a replacement for Cousins to finish the 2023 season.

Fanside’s Alicia de Artola proposed that the Vikings trade with the Dallas Cowboys to land either backup, Cooper Rush or Trey Lance.

The Vikings’ Case for Cooper Rush vs. Trey Lance

GettyCowboys backup quarterbacks Trey Lance and Cooper Rush.

In considering a trade for Rush or Lance, the Vikings must consider both their short- and long-term outlook.

Rush is a sixth-year backup quarterback with a 5-1 record as a starter, which included a win over the Vikings on Halloween night during the 2021 season. He’s a proven talent in the league, and Minnesota knows what it would get in a trade.

However, Rush doesn’t have the same upside that has hung over Lance since he was drafted third overall by the 49ers in 2021. San Francisco spent three seasons trying to coax that potential out of Lance before trading him to Dallas in September.

“The Cowboys took the chance on [Lance] because of his potential, but he’s served only as the team’s emergency quarterback, not yet elevating into a backup role behind Dak Prescott,” Artola wrote. “So a call to Dallas is at least warranted to find out if they’d be willing to get an improved return on what they spent to get a quarterback they’re not even using. The Vikings have a fourth-rounder from Detroit to use as well as their own.”

Reports surfaced twice in the offseason about a potential trade for Lance, however, nothing materialized before the Cowboys landed the Marshall, Minnesota, native quarterback for a fourth-rounder.

Rush is the serviceable replacement that could be the steadier replacement starter for the 2023 season. Meanwhile, if given the chance, the Vikings could trial run what Lance has the offer with the potential to exercise his fifth-year option next offseason to secure him through the 2025 season.

“And if they aren’t willing to budge on the former 49er, that call could just as easily shift towards Cooper Rush, the backup who seems destined to lose his job to Lance. Rush, who is 5-1 as a starter, should come cheaper than Lance but could keep the ship steady in Minnesota,” Artola added.

Vikings Rookie QB Jaren Hall Composed in 1st NFL Appearance

GettyVikings rookie quarterback Jaren Hall during his first NFL regular-season appearance against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.

The magnitude of a move at quarterback remains up for debate in Minnesota, especially with only one quarterback expected to be active on the roster after Week 8.

Jaren Hall relieved Cousins for the remainder of the fourth quarter and after coming in cold, fumbling the ball and going three-and-out on his first drive, he showed competent pocket awareness and movement, eventually converting a third-down pass to T.J. Hockenson to clinch the win.

Hall could very well be the plan for the rest of the season, although O’Connell will have to synthesize the playbook to put his rookie quarterback in a position to succeed while Hall learns on the fly.