The Minnesota Vikings were connected with Trey Lance over the past week but ESPN’s Kevin Siefert reports that the Vikings were not involved in negotiations “at all” before the Marshall native was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this week.
Rumors circled around the Vikings and Lance throughout the offseason season as Brock Purdy and Sam Darnold leapt the No. 3 overall pick in the NFL Draft on the San Francisco 49ers’ depth chart.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported earlier this week that the Vikings had “serious conversations” with the 49ers about a potential trade before “talks fell apart” prior to last year’s draft, but Minnesota wound up selecting BYU quarterback Jaren Hall in the fifth round.
Although NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport speculated the Vikings “made sense” as a landing spot for Lance after he was named third on the 49ers depth chart this week, Kevin O’Connell said they were always invested in Hall’s development, which could be why Lance was eventually traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
“I would definitely like to keep him around,” O’Connell said of Hall after Saturday’s preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals. “My philosophy when you’re going to draft a quarterback is you pour into him on a daily basis. Development is a huge word but I love the fact we got him as many reps this camp.”
Hall’s development got a huge opportunity on Saturday afternoon as he played the entire game against the Cardinals. Hall looked good in the first half and engineered a two-minute drive that led to a field goal before halftime but tapered as substitutions happened in the second half and finished completing 16-of-27 passes for 178 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
“I feel like Jaren has a really, really good understanding of our offense, where he can grow, where his comfort level can grow and hopefully hit the ground running the next opportunity he gets,” O’Connell said.
With the final roster due by Tuesday, it appears the Vikings will keep four quarterbacks with Hall slotted behind Kirk Cousins and backup Nick Mullens.
