Getty Edge rusher Danielle Hunter of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates after a play during a game against the Detroit Lions in October 2021.
The Minnesota Vikings have two serious problems — an edge rusher who wants a new deal and no long-term plan at QB. They may be able to solve both with one blockbuster move.
Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report recently proposed a trade that would ship outside linebacker Danielle Hunter to the San Francisco 49ers in return for quarterback Trey Lance and a 2024 fourth-round draft pick.
Davenport laid out his argument as part of an article published on Tuesday, June 13, which consisted of the points that the Niners don’t necessarily need to continue paying Lance to remain a Super Bowl contender, while Lance offers the Vikings a reasonable alternative to quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2024 and beyond.
The prevailing opinion appears to be that once Brock Purdy’s elbow is healthy, he will again start for the Niners. And Lance (the player the 49ers traded three first-round picks to obtain in 2021) will be the NFL’s most expensive (in terms of draft capital) clipboard-holder.
An extension for Hunter would be tricky for the 49ers, who still have to extend Nick Bosa and Brandon Aiyuk. But tricky isn’t impossible, and pairing Hunter and Bosa outside and [Javon] Hargrave and Arik Armstead inside would be a terrifying front four.
Assuming [Vikings head coach] Kevin O’ Connell believes he can turn Lance around, a Vikings team that appears to be rebuilding on the fly could get a successor to Kirk Cousins, who will be a free agent in 2024 — a successor under team control through 2026 at a reasonable (for a quarterback) salary.
49ers Value Edge Rushers Enough to Render Danielle Hunter, Trey Lance Trade Legitimate Possibility
GettyQuarterback Trey Lance of the San Francisco 49ers visits the dugouts before the start of an MLB game between the Oakland Athletics and the Texas Rangers in May 2023.
Davenport also cited Kyle Madson of USA Today’s Niners Wire, who noted that the pass-rush upgrade represented by Hunter can make real sense in San Francisco, especially after the team added quarterback Sam Darnold to the roster this offseason.
“If San Francisco’s coaching staff and front office have truly seen enough of Lance to believe he won’t be their starter at any point, then it’s easy to see them prioritizing their pass rush, making that move and relying on a Purdy-Darnold-[Brandon] Allen trio to get them through the season,” Madson wrote.
“It’d be a pretty significant risk, but the 49ers have made it clear how valuable they think game-wrecking pass rushers are,” Madson continued.
49ers’ Decision to Sign 2 Free Agent QBs in 2023 Indicates Trey Lance May Be Available to Vikings
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell (left) of the Minnesota Vikings talks to quarterback Kirk Cousins (right) prior to a game against the Chicago Bears in January 2023.
The 49ers added Allen in May, bringing their QB total to four on the depth chart. Allen’s one-year deal is worth $1.23 million total and includes $200,000 guaranteed, which is a strong indicator he will be on either the 53-man roster or the practice squad for much, if not all, of the upcoming season.
Allen has four years of experience on active NFL rosters, one with the Denver Broncos in 2019 and the last three with the Cincinnati Bengals. He has produced a 2-7 career record as a starter in the league, throwing for 1,611 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, per Pro Football Reference.
The Niners signed Darnold to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million, which positions him firmly in the salary range of a typical NFL backup QB in 2023. Darnold has started 55 games across five professional seasons with the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers. His signing in San Francisco led to increased speculation that Lance might be available via trade, as insiders didn’t believe Darnold was interested in signing anywhere as a third-string quarterback, even with a contender like the 49ers.
Lance, meanwhile, is due north of $9 million next season in the third year of his rookie deal. The quarterback is a Minnesota native and a dual pass/run threat who could spend 2023 learning the Vikings’ offense under O’Connell while insulated from immediate pressure to perform due to Cousins’ occupation of the starting role.
Minnesota has plenty of salary cap space (more than $17.8 million as of June 17) to absorb Lance’s contract. The Vikings’ available space would also increase by $5.5 million were the team to trade Hunter, now that the June 1 deadline has passed.
