Vikings Named Top Trade Partner For $34 Million QB, Former Top-3 Pick

Getty Kirk Cousins looks on during a 2022 Vikings game vs. Dallas.

It’s no secret that the Minnesota Vikings are looking for their quarterback of the future. That they may have already found him is the development of note.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported on Wednesday, April 19, that the Vikings began discussions with the San Francisco 49ers about a trade for Trey Lance during the NFL Combine all the way back in early March. Also on Wednesday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Niners have recently “received inquiries from several teams” interested in possibly dealing for the young signal-caller. Rapoport specifically noted that San Francisco has been fielding calls on Lance and not making them.

The timing of the nearly simultaneous reports from Florio and Rapoport is no accident. The 49ers may not be actively shopping Lance at this point, but the organization is clearly gearing up to move him either during the NFL Draft, or sometime just before or just after it commences on April 27.

Doric Sam of Bleacher Report on Wednesday put together a list of the top three trade destinations for Lance, which unsurprisingly included the Vikings.

“Another interesting team to watch is the Minnesota Vikings, as veteran signal-caller Kirk Cousins is entering the final year of his contract,” Sam wrote. “While veteran Nick Mullens is a viable backup, the franchise is in need of a young quarterback to secure its future. Lance would fit that bill, and he wouldn’t have to start right away as the Vikings chase a second straight NFC North title.”

The other two likely landing spots Sam mentioned were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tennessee Titans. He also listed the Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons and Washington Commanders as potentially interested franchises, though all three have been connected to quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.

Vikings Trade For Lance Probably Wouldn’t Include QB Kirk Cousins

GettyQuarterback Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers warms up before a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on December 23, 2021 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

In Sam’s scenario, Lance would play behind the reliable Cousins for a full season as he learns the Vikings’ offensive schemes and continues to rehabilitate a broken ankle he suffered in Week 2 of last year.

That is the most likely outcome should a trade between the NFC rivals come to pass, as the 49ers are poised to start second-year QB Brock Purdy and signed Sam Darnold to what reads like a backup deal worth a guaranteed $4.5 million. San Francisco doesn’t really need Cousins or the $30 million in guaranteed money that his contract stipulates he receive in 2023, unless they believe Purdy won’t be a viable option well into the regular season after injuring his elbow during last year’s NFC Championship Game.

As such, the Vikings will have to make up the value for Lance in the form of draft picks should they submit a serious bid for the former No. 3 overall pick. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell on Wednesday pitched a three-team trade, which includes the Philadelphia Eagles and sees the Vikings land Lance. He laid it out as follows:

• Vikings receive Trey Lance, a 2023 third-round pick (No. 102) and a 2023 sixth-round pick (No. 216) from the 49ers, as well as a 2023 second-round pick (No. 63) from the Eagles.
• 49ers receive Nick Mullens and a 2023 first-round pick (No. 23) from the Vikings.
• Eagles receive two 2023 third-round picks (Nos. 99 and 101) from the 49ers and a 2025 fourth-round pick from the Vikings.

“This deal values Lance as being worth the 39th pick in a typical draft, which is probably fair given what little we know about him after his first two seasons,” Barnwell wrote. “Minnesota would end up with no first-round pick and selections toward the bottom of the second and third rounds, but it would also land Lance, a long-term replacement for Cousins.”

Cousins Unlikely to Return to Vikings in 2023 Regardless of Lance Trade

GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins may play his last season with the franchise in 2023.

Whether Lance lands in Minnesota or not, it appears as though Cousins is on his way out after next season.

Cousins will likely start under center for the Vikings for a sixth-consecutive year, having earned Pro-Bowl nods in three of his first five campaigns. However, Minnesota has avoided offering Cousins a long-term extension in each of the last two offseasons, and the quarterback turns 35 years old in August.

The Vikings have made the playoffs in two of Cousins’ five seasons, earning a postseason record of (1-2). Minnesota has won the NFC North Division once during Cousins’ tenure, a feat the team accomplished last season.

Cousins has been undeniably good while also falling undeniably short of great throughout his 11-year NFL career, and specifically during his time with the Vikings. Cousins might be able to put a team like the 49ers, who have played in three of the last four NFC Championship Games, over the top. However, he doesn’t read like a long-term starter in Minnesota beyond next year, as the Vikings are poised to take a step back in 2023 as they restructure the organization with an eye on sustained success.