The Minnesota Vikings are satisfied with their quarterback room heading into the regular season, but a value play for the future is there to be had if the front office wants it.
Trey Lance has been mentioned as a trade target for the Vikings before, and a potential deal makes more sense now than ever considering Lance’s arrow is currently pointed downward. The former No. 3 overall pick cost the San Francisco 49ers two first-rounders and a third-rounder to move up nine spots and draft in 2021.
After a poor preseason opener that appears vastly better on paper than it was in reality, the Niners reserve QB looks like he could find himself a third-string option behind starter Brock Purdy and potential backup Sam Darnold when the regular season opens in September.
That said, the 23-year-old Minnesota native has never really gotten the chance to shine in the Bay Area. San Francisco dubbed Lance its starter to begin last season, then a broken ankle stole his year just over one game in. Purdy got his shot later in the campaign, the Niners finished the season in the NFC Championship Game, and that was that.
Lance is pretty clearly on the trade block in San Francisco. The issue is the price. At this point, however, the Niners have very little leverage. If the Vikings can get in the game for Lance for a Day 2 pick, perhaps a mid- or late-third round selection, the price could make sense on both sides.
49ers Have Lost Leverage in Trey Lance Trade Talks, Giving Teams like Vikings Upper Hand
GettySan Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance warming up before a game against the Minnesota Vikings.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell explained what he believed the Niners’ leverage to be, as well as what he believed Trey Lance’s trade value to be during the August 10 edition of The Bill Barnwell Show podcast.
It now feels like the Niners have very little interest in even employing Trey Lance, let alone using him as their starting quarterback.
I don’t see a lot of leverage here for the 49ers if they do put Trey Lance on the block. He is a player who very clearly the Niners are gonna wanna move on from. There are certainly teams who maybe didn’t have the same high opinion of Trey Lance. … He’s got very little experience.
Of course, the upside — incredible athlete, exciting player. But now with multiple years of cost control off the table, I don’t think the Niners can hope for a first round pick or a straight up second-round pick.
Lance’s 10-for-15 performance for 112 yards and a touchdown in San Francisco’s preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders might sound like it should have improved his value, but only if you interpreted the game on paper and not by actually tuning in.
The quarterback was sacked four times, losing 18 yards in the process. His sole touchdown was also thrown directly into the waiting arms of a Raiders defensive back who failed to make the interception. The ball ricocheted off of the defender and dropped into the hands of tight end Ross Dwelley for a touchdown. The Niners went on to lose the game by a score of 34-7.
Lance did not play in the first half of the team’s second preseason contest on Saturday night, August 19, against the Denver Broncos. He saw considerable run in the second half, however, putting up a stat line of 12-for-18 passing for 173 yards, one touchdown, one interception and a rating of 93.0. Lance led a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter that ended with a 49ers field goal and a 21-20 victory.
Trey Lance Worth a Flyer in Minnesota as Vikings Grapple with Future at Quarterback
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings reacts to a successful play during an NFL game against the Chicago Bears in January 2023.
Barring injury, it is a certainty that Kirk Cousins will begin the 2023 season as the Vikings’ starter. As for who will start, or even be the backup, come 2024 is anyone’s guess.
If Minnesota wanted to roll with Cousins long-term, the franchise could have extended him on a multiyear deal this offseason or the one prior. Instead, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah gave Cousins a one-year extension in 2022 and put contract negotiations on ice this summer.
The Vikings have backup Nick Mullens under contract for the next two years but can get out of the deal for the cost of just a $375,000 dead cap hit next spring. While Mullens has proven himself a viable No. 2 QB, he is not the future in Minnesota.
That leaves fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall, who head coach Kevin O’Connell likes but who is far from a sure bet to secure the keys to the franchise after one year — one year during which Hall is likely to spend most, if not all, of his time playing behind Cousins and/or Mullens.
The Vikings don’t figure to be bad enough this season to contend for a top-10 pick in the NFL Draft. In fact, the reigning NFC North Division champions probably have a better chance to make the playoffs than to pick somewhere in the single-digits come next April. Translation: drafting a top-notch QB prospect isn’t in the cards unless the Vikings want to pay big for the right to do it.
Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell will need to start taking swings on QBs in the next 12-18 months, and Lance is a quality candidate. He is a dual-threat player with real draft pedigree who could use a career reset in his home state. There would be little pressure on the young signal-caller in 2023, as he learns behind Cousins and under O’Connell.
Come 2024, Lance and Hall would offer the Vikings a quality duo of youthful QBs, out of which there is real hope for at least one quality NFL starter to emerge. Lance is no longer worth the kind of draft capital the Niners spent to acquire him, but San Francisco may be reasonably content with a third- or fourth-rounder at his point.
The Vikings spent a fifth-round pick on Hall just this year, and acquiring a player of Lance’s talent for one Day 2 draft selection is a swing worth taking.
Comments
Vikings Trade Pitch Nets Team Former Top-3 Pick, Hometown Hero