It seems that rumors of the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers having trade talks were very real, and the potential return for the Vikings in a deal to ship off Kirk Cousins has been revealed.
The 2022 season for the Minnesota Vikings had a lot of positives but was also quite frustrating for the NFC North champions. While the team had one of the better offenses in the league last season, they were also a group that was far more vulnerable than a top team should be in year one under new head coach Kevin O’Connell.
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That showed right away in the NFL Playoffs when the team was immediately ousted in the Wild Card Round by the New York Giants. Since the season came to a close, there have been rumblings of possible changes the team could make to the roster, with the most prominent decision being to end Cousins’ five-year run with the organization.
Last month, the Minnesota Vikings’ starting quarterback was reportedly the centerpiece of trade talks with the San Francisco 49ers at the NFL Combine. Obviously, the deal was never finalized but could certainly be revived before the start of the season, and now we know what the Vikings could get back in the potential trade.
Minnesota Vikings record (2022): 13-4, NFC North champions
On Wednesday, NFL insider Mike Florio reported on the Kirk Cousins trade discussions possibly starting after conversations about a different QB.
“Per a league source, the two teams talked about Trey Lance. 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.”
– Mike Florio
The deal would make a lot of sense for both teams. Despite having Brock Purdy, there are concerns if he can improve on his performance last year and be the organization’s franchise QB after being taken with the final overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. They have been linked previously to other veteran QBs and Cousins would be a great fit in their offense.
As for the Minnesota Vikings, if they want to move on from Cousins, going with the former first-round pick Lance works. Especially if he is a part of the trade. The 49ers benched Jimmy Garoppolo and planned for him to be their starter before a season-ending injury last year.
New rumors circulated on Wednesday that San Francisco has placed the for sale sign over Trey Lance this month.