Could a Minnesota native be the answer for the Vikings at quarterback?
Rich Eisen thinks so.
On “The Rich Eisen Show” Monday, Eisen broke down his top-5 rumors from the NFL Combine, and started off at No. 5 by talking about the Vikings’ quarterback situation. Eisen interviewed Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and asked him about the situation with Cousins, when O’Connell told him that Cousins is a “process guy” and has “earned the right to be a free agent.”
“Before he said that, I heard this rumor that a possible solve at quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings is a native of the state, and his name is Trey Lance,” Eisen said on his show Monday.
Lance, a Marshall, Minn., native, was the third overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2021 NFL draft, but was traded to the Dallas Cowboys after two seasons when injuries and the meteoric rise of Brock Purdy ended his time in San Francisco.
Lance has only played eight games across his three NFL seasons, throwing for 797 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 55% of his passes. He remains an intriguing prospect at just 23 years of age, despite limited action. The Vikings may view him as a player who has potential, and perhaps, a high ceiling.
“Trey Lance is a possible solve for the Vikings,” Eisen said. “Now the Cowboys picked up — kept him on the roster long enough to get a bonus, so they’re paying him money to keep him, and they, as you know, got him for a (fourth-round pick). I’m just wondering if the Vikings flip him a (third-round pick), a Friday night pick. Do they go ahead and do that?”
The Vikings may indeed be in the quarterback market. While re-signing Cousins remains their top priority, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Monday that he’s getting “very credible indications that Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta. Which would mean, obviously, that he’d be signing with the Falcons.”
Atlanta is the other top contender to sign Cousins in free agency. It remains to be seen if Florio’s intel is any good and whether free agency will see Cousins land in Atlanta, but Lance is a potentially intriguing possibility for the Vikings at quarterback should Cousins depart.
