The Vikings have lost starting quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season with the torn Achilles' he suffered in Sunday's win at Green Bay. The injury puts a big damper on the team rallying from a 0-3 start to get back to NFC playoff contention at 4-4 following Week 8.
The question is, will Minnesota officials make a trade for another QB instead of just handing coach Kevin O'Connell's offense to one of two backups, Nick Mullens or rookie fifth-rounder Jaren Hall? The best reasonable outside answer is obvious: Trey Lance.
Lance, a first-rounder in 2021 (No. 3 overall) was traded from the 49ers to the Cowboys in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick right before the 2023 season. Although Tennessee's Ryan Tannehill, Arizona's Kyler Murray and other veterans have come up as quick trade targets and street free agents such as Carson Wentz and Colt McCoy are available, Lance might be the QB addition who makes the most sense for Minnesota.
Here's why there's an outside chance Lance could be traded again before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET midseason deadline, this time from the Cowboys to the Vikings:
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Trey Lance remains a promising young QB from Minnesota
Like Wentz, Lance went to nearby North Dakota State. Unlike Wentz, Lance hails from the Vikings' home state. He was attached to them in the '21 draft because of the local interest and thinking about the future beyond Cousins.
Lance is from Marshall, Minn., about three hours drive southwest from Minneapolis. The Vikings weren't in position to draft him him in '21 after the 49ers made a big move up the board. This is their shot to land at much less cost. The Cowboys could play into their desperation and flip him for something more than a fourth-rounder, but that's not a bad floor for his trade value.
Lance also carries a current cap number of $940,000 in Dallas, per OverTheCap.com. He could fit into the Minnesota salary table while it is still paying Cousins top market, unlike Tannehill and Murray.
Trey Lance can fit well in the Vikings' offense
The Vikings did use an intriguing 2023 draft pick on the upside of Hall, who was a prolific athletic passer at BYU. That says they are willing to pivot away from a traditional pocket passer a la Cousins to add another element to O'Connell's offense.
Minnesota should see that Lance still has a strong arm and have some good key pieces to boost a young QB. The healthy ones for him now are rookie first-round wideout Jordan Addison, tight end T.J. Hockenson and '21 first-round left tackle Christian Darrisaw. A healthy return from Jefferson makes them fully loaded.
O'Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah took a shot on Cam Akers for the backfield when Sean McVay and the Rams didn't want him. They have already proved willing to take cheap calculated shots on talented castoffs.
Lance can be let loose with his running and downfield passing with his big arm. The Vikings also have nothing to lose by accelerating his development on the fly, because the season already might seem lost without Cousins.
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Trey Lance is more than a short-term option for Cousins
Cousins' timeline to return is uncertain. He turns 36 before next season and Vikings can consider getting out of his contract. At worst, Lance is a flop starting for them and they move on with little risk. At best, Lance plays well enough to lift them into the playoffs and they have a "good problem" deciding on Cousins.
The Vikings are in a strange intersection between recent contending and near-future rebuilding. To that end, it doesn't make sense for them to get an expensive rental with little value beyond the second half of this season. Lance would be the easiest and smartest outside move they can make.
