Getty General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (left) and head coach Kevin O'Connell (right) of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Trey Lance to the Minnesota Vikings trade rumors are torrential once again after the young quarterback was listed as the third option for the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers front office may be ready to cut their losses after trading three first-round picks to acquire the former North Dakota State star and Minnesota native — and that’s left some pundits questioning what it would take to take Lance off their hands.
NFL insider Benjamin Allbright, responding to a fan on X (formerly Twitter), made an oddly specific prediction for the Vikings to make a player trade involving an edge rusher for the former No. 3 overall pick.
“My gut says that San Francisco and Minnesota work out a deal that involves Lance for a pass rusher with picks going both ways,” Allbright wrote.
Which edge rusher Allbright has in mind was left unsaid, but fans quickly ran with his prediction and speculated possible trade scenarios.
Possible Vikings Edge Rushers to Send for Trey Lance
The first name to pop into the minds of any fans, either San Francisco or Minnesota, is Danielle Hunter.
The Pro Bowl edge rusher was unhappy with his contract this season but reached an agreement on a new deal that will pay him up to $20 million for the 2023 season. However, it was far from a long-term extension that gives the impression the Vikings are committed to him.
However, Hunter has tangible value on the field that outweighs Lance’s unrealized potential so far.
Vikings Wide editor Tyler Forness struck down the idea that the Vikings would trade Hunter or fellow starting outside linebacker Marcus Davenport — instead suggesting D.J. Wonnum or Patrick Jones II could be potential trade chips Minnesota would be willing to part ways with.
X user Krauserrific laid out a trade scenario involving Wonnum for Lance with a pick swap that would save Minnesota $2.7 million in cap space. The Vikings giving up Wonnum would open up a spot for Luiji Vilain to emerge in the top-four rotation, while undrafted rookie Andre Carter would make the roster but largely be in a reserve role.
There’s several possibilities to entertain just between the two trades, but a player swap makes sense, especially for San Francisco, which would have much better optics surrounding the trade by selling it as a win-now move.
Vikings May Be Too Late on Trey Lance Trade
The ultimate issue facing Lance’s career hasn’t been talent but playing time.
Trey Lance needs playing time.
There’s no pathway for him to get it.
99 HS pass attempts.
318 College pass attempts.
72 NFL preseason attempts
102 NFL regular season attempts.
In his ENTIRE FOOTBALL CAREER, he has fewer pass attempts than Geno Smith had just last year.
NFL…
He needs more experience to become comfortable with the speed of the NFL. However, there doesn’t seem to be a path for him to get that experience in San Francisco.
Ideally, a trade should have happened in the offseason that would give Lance the spring and summer to learn a new offense and playbook and prepare to be a starter for a quarterback-needy team.
But with less than a week left in the preseason, Lance seems bound to be a backup entering the third year of his rookie deal. That leaves just one more season where Lance is affordable.
The Vikings, who only have Jaren Hall under contract beyond the 2023 season, could take a chance on Lance for the 2024 season — the final year of his rookie contract — but it would be an all-or-nothing season that the franchise often avoids.
Lance could either rise to become a starting caliber quarterback, which you’d have to pay the following year or lead the Vikings to a tanking season where they could land a high-value draft pick they could use to acquire a top quarterback prospect in the 2025 draft.
Neither are ideal scenarios for the new Vikings regime which would show a sudden change of course from its “competitive rebuild” philosophy by giving Lance a trial run.
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