Another Week, Another 49ers-Vikings Trade Rumor Pops Up
It certainly is the time of the year for trade rumors in the NFL. With the 2023 NFL Draft just over a week away, teams are jockeying to gain leverage over one another. Two teams that have continuously been connected in these trade rumors are the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, and on Wednesday, yet another 49ers-Vikings trade rumor popped up on headlines across the NFL.
Usually, these trade rumors are centered around the Vikings moving Kirk Cousins to the 49ers. However, this time around, there has been a slight variation on the trade. According to Mike Florio, these trade discussions were not limited to Cousins, but instead, they also included Trey Lance.
Ian Rapoport also confirmed on Wednesday morning that “the 49ers have received several inquiries” regarding a trade for Lance, implying that there is a bit of a competition for the former third overall pick from the 2021 Draft.
In order to acquire Lance back in 2021, the 49ers traded three first round picks in order to take over the No. 3 pick from the Miami Dolphins. After spending the 2021 season behind Jimmy Garoppolo, the plan was for Lance to take over the offense in 2022, but a broken ankle in Week 2 derailed those plans for another year.
Coincidentally, the 49ers happened to select a QB with the final pick in the 2022 Draft as well, and now, it appears that they have seen enough from that QB, Brock Purdy, to move forward with him as their long-term starter.
The only problem is that Purdy may be out for much of, if not the entire 2023 season with his torn UCL suffered in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles. If that is the case, and the 49ers were to move on from Lance, the only other QB on Sam Francisco’s roster is Sam Darnold.
Given Kyle Shanahan’s wizardly coaching ability on the offensive side of the ball, perhaps he could be the coach to finally crack into Darnold’s potential, who is also a former third overall pick from the 2018 Draft.
That being said, what would the Vikings have to give up to get Lance? Ultimately, the answer probably depends on whether or not Cousins is in the deal. If the 49ers want Cousins on the final year of his contract, then Minnesota gains much more leverage in this deal. In this scenario, they probably GAIN draft capital rather than lose it.
However, even if Cousins is not involved, it’s hard to believe that San Francisco would get anywhere near the type of draft capital that they moved in order to pick him. The maximum is probably a single first-rounder or a pair of second-rounders.
With that in mind, should the Vikings consider a trade for Lance? It makes some sense, considering Minnesota does need to find a QB to take over the reins after Cousins leaves. On the other hand, though, any team willingly making their third overall pick available just two years after moving the world in order to acquire him should make us a bit wary.
It will be interesting to see how this all pans out, but if the Vikings add a QB this offseason, my money remains on it being via the draft next week.
A Vikings Legend Retires
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.