San Francisco Newspaper Calls Vikings QB an ‘Obvious’ Trade Candidate
Dustin Baker
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Tom Brady retired Wednesday, the first definitive domino of the NFL’s annual quarterback carousel. He won’t join the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, or any team in 2023. He’s riding off into the sunset — with a golf course nearby.
But with the 49ers bedlam at quarterback — Trey Lance broke his ankle, Jimmy Garopplo broke his foot, Broke Purdy injured his UCL — Kyle Shanahan’s club may explore a safer bet at the game’s most important position in 2023.
San Francisco Newspaper Calls Vikings QB an ‘Obvious’ Trade Candidate
Accordingly, a San Francisco Bay area newspaper, The Mercury News, theorized candidates for the 49ers QB1 job in 2023, and Vikings QB1 Kirk Cousins unsurprisingly made the list. Cousins has been linked to San Francisco — often in the shadows — for about five years. Cousins was a free agent in 2018, the 49ers were still in the Garoppolo honeymoon period, and the Vikings signed Cousins for megabucks.
But every offseason, right around this time on the calendar, folks spitball how Cousins could find his way to Shanahan’s 49ers. And 2023 is no different — no different at all. Cam Inman from The Mercury News mentioned Cousins as an ‘obvious’ trade candidate for San Francisco, explaining the idea, “Shanahan has coveted Cousins since their days in Washington a decade ago. Watching them talk at the 49ers-Vikings joint practices in August, the chemistry remains. Shanahan planned to make a play for Cousins in 2018 free agency, but Garoppolo entered the picture with a Halloween 2017 trade.”
“Cousins delivered a career-best 13 wins this regular season, before a wild-card loss to the Giants. His 4,547 yards marked the seventh time in eight years he’s thrown over the 4K mark,” Inman added about the pros of delivering Cousins to The Bay.
Cousins tied an NFL record in 2022 for most game-winning drives in a single season with eight. His overall statistical performance dipped slightly in 2022, but fans enjoyed the 2022 Cousins more because of late-game heroism.
Inman also wrote about the ‘cons’ of Cousins, “His 1-3 playoff record will not inspire the 49ers Faithful when Brady is there for the taking. Cousins repeated as a Pro Bowl honoree, but he did so while throwing 14 interceptions, twice as many as his 2021 total. Cousins is guaranteed $30 million for 2023, and then his contract voids.”
Inman also suggested that because the 49ers don’t have much draft capital to trade for Cousins, the team might have to package Minnesotan Trey Lance in the hypothetical deal.
The other obvious 49ers QB1 candidates included Tom Brady (who retired after the publication of Inman’s article), Aaron Rodgers, and the aforementioned Lance and Garoppolo.
Purdy, who had a magnificent and unforeseen run at QB1, could miss at least six months with the UCL injury, totally thickening the 49ers offseason quarterback plot.
The Vikings would be on the hook for an $18.75 million dead cap penalty in 2023 if they traded Cousins.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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