Breaking: Vikings Agree Deal To Sign $34.1 Million QB, Insider Reveals

If Kirk Cousins walks into free agency in 2024, the Minnesota Vikings will need to choose a quarterback in the draft, and Trey Lance is a potential contender to take the starting role.

Rich Eisen listed his top five combine rumors following the NFL Scouting Combine. The first was that Lance, a native of Marshall, Minnesota, might be a “possible solve” at quarterback for the Vikings because head coach Kevin O’Connell appeared content that Cousins has “earned the right to be a free agent.”

“Prior to his remarks, I had heard a rumor that Trey Lance, a native of the state, could be the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback in the future,” Eisen stated on his show on March 4.

Lance, who signed a four-year, $34.1 million contract, was seen as the 49ers’ future franchise quarterback after being selected third overall by the team in 2021.

Prior to the 2022 season, Lance defeated Jimmy Garoppolo for the starting role, but in Week 2, he sustained an ankle injury that would terminate his season. San Francisco’s hopes of acquiring Lance were finally dashed when Brocy Purdy emerged; the player was transferred to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth-round pick last summer.

Eisen continued, “Now that the Cowboys have acquired him and kept him on the roster long enough to receive a bonus, they are paying him to stay, and they acquired him for a (fourth-round pick).” “I simply want to know if the Vikings will select him with a Friday night choice in the third round. Do they actually carry that out?

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Trey Lance Has Less Experience, is Younger Than Bo Nix

Although it’s simple to dismiss Lance as a bust, the 49ers had to part with three first-round picks in order to get the quarterback from Minnesota.

Lance demonstrated his precision and decision-making in college, going above and beyond his physical prowess, as he completed 16 games in his sophomore year with 28 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Lance’s junior year was cut short by the epidemic, but his growing interest in the NFL prompted him to file for the 2021 draft.

The 49ers gambled on Lance, but they wanted him to be prepared because they now had a shot at the Super Bowl. Lance didn’t seem prepared.

That makes sense, since over his high school career, Lance has attempted just 591 passes. That is less than some NFL quarterbacks attempt in a season, and it is insignificant when compared to the quarterback draft class of this year.

Bo Nix, the quarterback for Oregon and two months Lance’s senior, for instance, completed his five years of college eligibility and attempted 1,936 passes during that time. Nix was exposed to Division I talent almost five times as much.

It will be challenging to make up for Lance’s lack of playing experience because he is now the third-string player in the league.

Lance might, however, catch up to the NFL game’s speed with a few more years of playing experience; nonetheless, a potential organization would need to be patient.

Vikings’ Best Course of Action at QB Doesn’t Align With Lance

This season, the Vikings could adopt the 49ers’ quarterback strategy of fostering competition. Long- and short-term alternatives would be provided to the club by a reclamation project like Lance, an experienced bridge quarterback, and a rookie quarterback selected in the first round.

But at this point, Lance doesn’t fit Minnesota’s long-term plans.He is nearing the end of his rookie contract, and a $22.4 million fifth-year option would be available to him.

It would be wise to pay that much to a seasoned bridge quarterback who has established himself as a starter. However, Lance believes it’s not a wise investment and that it must be exercised by May, which is far earlier than Lance could establish his value and grow under Kevin O’Connell.

But, Lance’s market would probably not be as strong in free agency if he takes a redshirt year and doesn’t play, which would lead to the Vikings offering him a cheap extension.