Rumors of a Possible Vikings-49ers Trey Lance Trade Are Surfacing Again

The 49ers have reportedly received inquiries on Lance. Could the Vikings be a trade partner?

A little over a week away from the draft, rumors regarding the possibility of a Vikings-49ers trade centered around Trey Lance (and presumably Kirk Cousins) are popping up again.

First, there was a report on Wednesday morning from NFL Network's Ian Rapaport that "the 49ers have received inquiries from several teams looking into a potential trade" for Lance, the No. 3 overall pick in 2021. "The conversations have been the result of SF fielding the calls, not making them, with teams aware that Brock Purdy is likely the future starter," Rapaport wrote.

Then, a bit later, came this report from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk: The Vikings and 49ers discussed Lance at the NFL scouting combine this year, "per a league source."

The next few sentences add some needed context.

The source doesn’t know whether that’s currently happening. The Vikings have since restructured the Cousins contract. They’d take a significant cap hit ($38 million) if the Vikings trade Cousins before June 1.

But the Vikings need an answer for 2024, and beyond. It’s unclear whether they truly think Lance could be the answer.

A Cousins-Lance trade is something I dove deep into back at the end of January, shortly after another promising 49ers season came to an end due to another quarterback injury.

On paper, it makes at least some sense for both teams. Purdy is the 49ers' projected starter, but he's coming off an injury and is still just a former seventh-round pick who had a solid rookie season. Cousins is ultra-durable and has a history with San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, so perhaps he'd be the missing piece for a Niners team loaded with skill position talent and an elite defense.

From the Vikings' side, getting the Minnesota native Lance would give them an intriguing dual-threat quarterback who still has two years left on his rookie contract, plus a fifth-year option. Moving off of Cousins would free up cap space — though, as Florio mentions, there would be a big dead money hit this year if the trade isn't designated as post-June 1 — and allow the Vikings to start building for the future. Even though Lance has hardly played over the past two seasons, he's still a former top-3 pick with major physical tools.

Of course, there are also big reasons why both teams might be hesitant. The Vikings trading for Lance would be a risk that would likely mean taking a significant step back in 2023. The 49ers may not want to take on Cousins and his contract, knowing what they were able to do with Purdy last season for a tiny fraction of the price. The specifics of a deal would also be difficult to work out.

Still, it's a rumor that isn't going away just yet.

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