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The Minnesota Vikings have made yet another change at quarterback. Head coach Kevin O’Connell tabbed Nick Mullens as the starter following another rough start for Josh Dobbs in Week 14.
This situation is sure to bleed into the offseason where even more questions loom.
Kirk Cousins will be 36 years old by the start of next season. He is a free agent after this season and there is no heir apparent on the roster. Minnesota should explore multiple avenues to shore up the position. Enter Dallas Cowboys quarterback Trey Lance.
“Lance might raise the ceiling on Dallas’ QB2 spot, but the Cowboys could get a better return for Lance than what they paid from teams such as the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints or Seattle Seahawks,” wrote Connor Livesay of 33rd Team on December 8. “If those teams miss out on the top passers in the draft, they could see Lance as a viable option.”
The No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Lance has yet to throw a pass this season behind starter Dak Prescott whose MVP candidacy could alter Dallas’ backup plans.
Prescott is heading into the final year of his contract and Cooper Rush is already locked in.
Lance opened the 2022 campaign as the San Francisco 49ers’ starting quarterback. He suffered an ankle injury that knocked him out for the season and required multiple surgeries, losing his starting spot to Brock Purdy in the process. Dallas acquired Lance from San Francisco for a fourth-round pick in August.
He completed 66.7% of his passes for 287 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception during the preseason while still with the Niners.
In two seasons with San Francisco, Lance completed 54.9% of his passes 797 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He added 235 yards and one touchdown on 54 carries in that span.
He is also a Marshall, Minnesota native and was a standout at Marshall High School.
Minnesota wants to bring Cousins back next season, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. But his age and contract situation makes planning for the future a prudent exercise.
This could at least be a part of their plans to address the looming issue.
Potential Trade With Cowboys Could Help Vikings
The Vikings could very well end up as victims of their success. They could win just enough games to miss out on the top quarterback prospects and be stuck trying to make things work with a mid-tier option and/or – as would be the case with Lance – a reclamation project.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus believes they should do whatever it takes to get into position to draft LSU star and Heisman winner Jayden Daniels.
But players like Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washinton’s Michael Penix Jr. could be bargain options.
Minnesota would have the No. 22 overall pick if the draft was held now. It isn’t, though. And they can still slide as low as the No. 2 overall pick if the season took even more of a downward turn. They have already withstood injuries to Cousins, who is out for the season, and Justin Jefferson, who has missed most of it.
Proposed Vikings Trade Lands Former Top-3 Pick
The pick Dallas sent will slot in toward the back end of the round. That makes it easier for Minnesota to surpass the value in their offer to the Cowboys as Livesay suggests is likely in this situation.
The Vikings could offer the fourth-round pick they received from the Detroit Lions in the T.J. Hockenson trade, presuming the Lions finish behind the Cowboys in the standings.
Vikings get:
– Trae Lance
Cowboys get:
– 2024 4th-round pick (from DET via MIN)
Dallas essentially gets its pick back with a slight bump in the order for their troubles. Minnesota gets a player some viewed as among the best quarterback prospects in his class for a deep discount. That is even considering the Vikings are giving up a more valuable pick in this deal than the Cowboys did initially.
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