Bleacher Report Suggests Vikings Trade Danielle Hunter for Young QB
Josh Frey
|
Due to his contract hold out from Vikings minicamp, there has been a lot of buzz that the team could trade Danielle Hunter this offseason.
Bleacher Report has been all over these trade theories in the past few days, and Gary Davenport recently authored six potential trades involving the Vikings star defender. One such trade revolves around Minnesota acquiring Trey Lance from the San Francisco 49ers. Here is what Davenport wrote on the potential package:
An extension for Hunter would be tricky for the 49ers, who still have to extend Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk. But tricky isn’t impossible, and pairing Hunter and Bosa outside and Hargrave and Arik Armstead inside would be a terrifying front four.
Assuming Kevin O’ Connell believes he can turn Lance around, a Vikings team that appears to be rebuilding on the fly could get a successor to Kirk Cousins, who will be a free agent in 2024—a successor under team control through 2026 at a reasonable (for a quarterback) salary.
Lance was selected with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he has started just four games over his first two seasons in the league.
The plan was for Lance to take over the full-time starting duties during 2022, but a broken ankle in Week 2 of the season abruptly ended those plans.
In all, Lance has completed 56-of-102 passes for 797 yards, 5 TDs, and 3 INTs over the course of 8 games that he has appeared in. After Brock Purdy’s success in 2022, along with the free agency signing of Sam Darnold, there are just as many questions surrounding Lance’s future in San Francisco as there are for Hunter in Minnesota.
Perhaps Minnesota could be a landing spot that helps turn Lance’s career around. Considering the star talent at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson, K.J. Osborn, and Jordan Addison, along with tight end T.J. Hockenson, there are plenty of pass catchers for him. Additionally, Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill make up one of the best offensive tackle tandems in the NFL to provide pass protection.
The Vikings also have QB questions of their own with Kirk Cousins entering the final year of his current contract, and no extension is expected for the veteran QB. If he were to leave, the Vikings have a choice to make regarding their next starting quarterback. Perhaps Lance could be an option to consider.
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.