Report Suggests Trey Lance Wasn’t on the Vikings Radar Heading into the 2023 Season
Earlier this week, the San Francisco 49ers decided that Brock Purdy would be their starting QB heading into the 2023 season, and he would be backed up by Sam Darnold.
This left Trey Lance buried at QB3, and the 49ers began fielding calls for a trade. Ultimately, San Francisco sent the former third overall pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round pick. It was a return far below the price they paid for him considering they traded away three first-round picks and a third rounder in order to draft him in 2021.
Some Vikings fans and national media outlets suggested that Minnesota could be a landing spot for Lance this time around. However, a report from Kevin Seifert of ESPN suggested that the Vikings were never in on trade talks for Lance.
Seifert tweeted, “The #Vikings were not in on the Trey Lance talks at all yesterday. He might have been a consideration before the draft, but they are invested now in 5th-round pick Jaren Hall. Kevin O’Connell today on Hall: ‘I would definitely like to keep him around.'”
This feels like the correct choice for Minnesota. They already have a sure starter in Kirk Cousins for this season with quality backups Nick Mullens and Hall. Especially Hall has shown some great progression just in his first preseason, and he should have fans excited for what he can do in the future.
While Lance offered a promising upside heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, he was largely a mystery considering he played his collegiate ball at the FCS level with the North Dakota State Bison. That program also produced Carson Wentz, though, who had a strong start to his career before things fell apart in Philadelphia.
Ultimately, Lance hasn’t lived up to his potential yet at the NFL level. Much of this has to do with injuries (a broken ankle ended his 2022 season in Week 2), but his production hasn’t been great while on the field. In eight career games (four starts), Lance has completed 54.9% of his passes for 797 yards, 5 TDs, and 3 INTs.
Perhaps Hall won’t turn into the “QB of the future” in Minnesota, but it is far from a guarantee that Lance would have filled that role. Ultimately, the Vikings may be better off developing the player who is already in their organization.
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.