There are multiple reasons why the Minnesota Vikings should consider making a trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance before the 2023 season.
We are now less than one week away from the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, and instead of being able to focus on where some of the top prospects might land, Minnesota Vikings fans have been handed a rumor about their favorite team's apparent interest in making a trade for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance.
Lance, who grew up in the state of Minnesota, has been with the 49ers since they used the No. 3 overall pick on him in the 2021 NFL Draft. San Francisco was ready to roll with him as their starter for the 2022 season, but unfortunately, he was only able to appear in two games after suffering a significant ankle injury in Week 2.
During Lance's absence last year, rookie quarterback Brock Purdy wound up emerging as a pleasant surprise for the 49ers. Purdy helped San Francisco reach last season's NFC Championship and they probably would have earned a spot in the Super Bowl if he didn't suffer an elbow injury during the game.
Heading into the 2023 campaign, it appears that the 49ers are fine with rolling with Purdy as their starting quarterback if the recovery from his elbow injury goes well. So where does that leave Lance?
Judging from the report that was shared earlier this week, San Francisco is clearly willing to listen to any trade offers that have to do with Lance. Should the Vikings be one of the teams that gives the 49ers a call about their young quarterback?
Well, there are multiple reasons why Minnesota should and shouldn't make an attempt to trade for Lance this year. So let's go over some of them.
Reason No. 1 why the Vikings should trade for Trey Lance
Minnesota needs a replacement for Kirk Cousins
Currently, Kirk Cousins is only under contract with the Vikings until the end of the 2023 season. Cousins' backup, Nick Mullens, is actually the only quarterback on Minnesota's roster who is signed through 2024.
Signs have been pointing to the Vikings wanting to find someone else to be their starting signal-caller by the 2024 season, if not sooner. Some believe Minnesota will see if they can land a top quarterback prospect in this year's NFL Draft. But if the Vikings come away empty-handed, Trey Lance could be the next young passer they set their sights on.
Lance could end up being one of the best options for 2024 if Minnesota doesn't end up drafting one of the top passing prospects at the end of this month or during next year's NFL Draft. Trading for Lance or drafting a new quarterback especially feels like two of the best routes for the Vikings to take when one takes a look at the signal-callers that are currently scheduled to be free agents in 2024.
Cousins is likely going to be the best free-agent quarterback available in 2024 as the group is also currently scheduled to include guys like Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston, Mitchell Trubisky, and Marcus Mariota.
So if people think Minnesota is just going to sign another veteran quarterback in free agency if Cousins leaves in 2024, that's not something that is likely going to result in a ton of success for the future. At least making a trade for Lance is something that could still result in the Vikings having a franchise quarterback for more than a handful of years.
Reason No. 1 why the Vikings shouldn't trade for Trey Lance
Minnesota won't really get to benefit from Trey Lance's rookie contract
Every player that is selected in the first round of the NFL Draft is given a rookie contract with a length of four years that has an option for a fifth season.
In the case of Trey Lance, since he was drafted in 2021, he still has at least two years left on his rookie contract. A third year could also be added to the end of Lance's rookie deal, but that's a decision that likely won't have to be made until May of 2024.
So if Minnesota trades for Lance, they could do one of two things. They could have him sit for a season behind Kirk Cousins and take over as the team's starter in 2024 or they could figure out a way to get rid of Cousins before the start of the 2023 season and have Lance immediately become their starting quarterback.
Whatever route the Vikings choose to take, they'll still have Cousins on the books until 2025. So even if Minnesota acquires Lance and figures out a way to move on from Cousins this year, the Vikings' quarterback room in 2024 is still likely going to cost them more than $30 million.
So that pretty much defeats the whole purpose of Lance being an enticing trade target based on him still having two years left on his rookie deal. With the way that Minnesota re-worked Cousins' deal this offseason, he won't be off the books until Lance's fifth season in the NFL.
Is Lance worth the risk of trading valuable assets for if the Vikings can't even take advantage of the low salary caps in his rookie contract?
Reason No. 2 why the Vikings should trade for Trey Lance
Trey Lance's ceiling is still sky high
When the 2023 regular season begins in September, Trey Lance will be 23-years-old. Lance is currently younger than some of the top quarterbacks that were drafted during the last few years, including Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Jalen Hurts, and Kenny Pickett.
So even though Lance has only appeared in a total of eight games during his first two seasons in the NFL, he still has plenty of time to develop into one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
It's not like Lance has spent his time in the NFL getting pummeled by opposing defenses either. He suffered a freak injury last year and his time off the field has only extended his amount of time left to play at a high level in the league.
Lance still has the elite traits that resulted in him getting drafted with the third overall pick in 2021. He's got great size (6-foot-4, 224 pounds), impressive speed, and a rocket for an arm.
If the Vikings acquire him and head coach Kevin O'Connell figures out the best way to utilize his skill-set, the sky is the limit for how much the young quarterback could achieve in a purple and gold uniform.
Reason No. 2 why the Vikings shouldn't trade for Trey Lance
Trey Lance hasn't succeeded with Kyle Shanahan
During his NFL coaching career, current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has helped a number of quarterbacks reach the top of their potential. Some of the notable signal-callers that have achieved success with Shanahan through the years include Matt Ryan, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Matt Schaub.
Most recently, Shanahan was able to get the most out of Brock Purdy during the 2022 season, despite the fact that the quarterback was a rookie who was drafted in the seventh round. Purdy wound up helping San Francisco win all five of his starts in 2022 and his head coach certainly played a large role in those victories.
So why hasn't Trey Lance's tenure gone very well with the 49ers? Is it strictly because he hasn't had enough opportunities to get in-game experience or does Shanahan not know how to use a quarterback with Lance's versatile skill-set?
What worries some people when it comes to Lance is the fact that Purdy was able to jump right into San Francisco's offense so easily and quickly achieve success last season, while the former No. 3 overall pick struggled during his appearances as a rookie in 2021.
During his eight career appearances with the 49ers, Lance has only completed 54.9 percent of his passes and he's thrown for fewer than 200 yards in two of his three starts that weren't cut short by a freak injury. He's also only rushed for one touchdown on 54 career carries with San Francisco during the last two years.
Would Lance's struggles continue in a similar offensive scheme run by the Vikings or would Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell be able to make the proper adjustments to get the most out of the young quarterback in his offense?
Reason No. 3 why the Vikings should trade for Trey Lance
Trey Lance could become a hometown hero
Last month, Vikings fans had to say goodbye to longtime wide receiver Adam Thielen. a native of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. The fact that Thielen grew up in the Vikings' home state made it that much more enjoyable for fans to root for him when he was on the roster.
Before he went off to college at North Dakota State, Trey Lance grew up in Marshall, Minnesota, a small town that's about a three hour drive away from U.S. Bank Stadium. Knowing that he's spent the majority of his life in the state of Minnesota, it wouldn't be difficult for the Vikings fan base to get behind the young quarterback.
But since he's from Minnesota, Lance also knows the passion that Vikings fans have for their football team, and also the heartbreak that they have suffered. He knows how badly Minnesota wants to have a Super Bowl parade and how much the team's fan base deserves one given how much they've dealt with over the years.
Just imagine how big of a folk hero Lance would become in the Land of 10,000 Lakes if he were able to help lead the Vikings to their first-ever Super Bowl victory.