Vikings: Making the case for Trey Lance
The Minnesota Vikings have had controversy at the most important position on the football field for the better part of the past decade. Some rank him top-10 in the NFL, others have him top-15 or just outside of it. Regardless of what you think of Kirk Cousins, you can't deny their depth at the QB […]
The Minnesota Vikings have had controversy at the most important position on the football field for the better part of the past decade. Some rank him top-10 in the NFL, others have him top-15 or just outside of it. Regardless of what you think of Kirk Cousins, you can't deny their depth at the QB position.
Behind Cousins, the Vikings have Nick Mullens on roster. Som would say he's a top-5 backup in the NFL. They also just spent a fifth-round pick on Jarren Hall, a rookie out of BYU. He will serve as the developmental third string and gets reps in practice with the hopes he can eventually develop into a backup or starter, even.
Let's play a hypothetical game: Let's say another team's starting QB goes down and they don't trust their backup, so they offer the Vikings a package too good to turn down for Nick Mullens.
What do the Vikings do then? Do they rely on Jarren Hall if Cousins goes down? Do they sign a free agent? Or, do they bring back a hometown favorite?
By now, you have probably heard the latest San Francisco 49ers news. In case you missed it here it is.
Trey Lance, a player who the 49ers once traded up for, is now sitting at third-string. Lance's career has been plagued with injuries up until this point, but that doesn't diminish the fact that the 49ers invested a ton in him via draft picks. Now, he sits two spots lower on the depth chart than someone who was picked with the 259th pick.
The rumors have been heating up when it comes to who is going to trade for Trey?
I say Minnesota.
Lance grew up in Marshall, Minnesota, which is a 3-hour drive from Minneapolis. He attended North Dakota State University and was one of the program's best quarterbacks in recent memory by the time he was done. In his redshirt freshman year, he won the Walter Peyton Award as well as Jerry Rice award. All while leading the Bison to a championship game, winning it and being named MVP.
I'm not the only one with this thought process.
Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell recently had success in revitalizing the career of now Super Bowl champion, Matthew Stafford. He has had some success with Kirk Cousins as well. Who is to say he can't do it again?
Adding a dual threat, that has the arm talent of Trey Lance to an offense that already includes the leagues best receiver in Justin Jefferson, could be very fun.
Another big key is Cousins' contract status, which is currently N/A in 2024. But even though he's not under contract in 2024 he's set to count a whopping $28.5 million in dead cap thanks to the structuring of past contracts. The Vikings can't get out of this – therefore, getting a cheap yet promising player like Lance makes a ton of sense. He's is set to count a little more than $5.3 million against the cap next year, which is perfect for the situation the Vikings in.
Who knows? Lance could be the guy to take over next year if things work out.
The cards are there, they just have to fall into place.
© Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
