Purple Rumor Mill: Trey Lance’s Availablity, David Montgomery, Radio Silence on Za’Darius + Dalvin
Dustin Baker
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VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the April 2nd edition.
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Trey Lance’s Availablity, David Montgomery, Radio Silence on Za’Darius + Dalvin
Here’s the second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.
Rumor: The Vikings discussed a Kirk Cousins trade at the NFL Combine, with Trey Lance as a possible target.
Kirk Cousins could play out his contract in 2023 and hit free agency next March, play out his contract and get re-signed by the Vikings — or be involved in a trade beforehand.
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, the trade possibility was more than just another fringe offseason theory. Meanwhile, the hypothetical Cousins trade could involve a name familiar to Vikings fans — yes, Trey Lance.
In a video titled, ‘Trey Lance needs a fresh start from the San Francisco 49ers,’ Florio and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms discussed the potential of a Lance trade this offseason. Florio mentioned, “Apparently, at the scouting combine, there was some chatter, there was some noise among people within the broader league structure — not media but people in the league — about Cousins being traded to the 49ers. That was a hot topic at one point in Indianapolis.”
The Vikings will likely roll into 2023 with Cousins at QB1 for a sixth straight season, but there is a small chance that Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pulls the trigger on a younger and cheaper Lance — who’s also younger than most quarterbacks in this year’s draft class.
But the trade probably would’ve happened by now.
Rumor: Minnesota explored adding former Bears RB David Montgomery in free agency.
The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported this week, “As I understand it, Montgomery had a number of suitors in free agency, including the Bears. Three-fourths of the NFC North was interested in signing him. The Bears, the Detroit Lions (where he landed) and Minnesota Vikings were all in the mix.”
At the time of the alleged Vikings interest, Alexander Mattison hadn’t reunited with the franchise but has since returned for two years and $7 million.
If Biggs is correct, Minnesota pursuing Montgomery further indicates Cook may not be a part of the 2023 roster. The Vikings wouldn’t sign Montgomery — and then keep Cook, Ty Chandler, and Kene Nwangwu.
Rumor: Dalvin Cook and Za’Darius Smith remain on the trade block, but everything is at a standstill.
Za’Darius Smith tweeted a goodbye to everyone in the Vikings community about 3.5 weeks ago. Folks expected Minnesota to release him, but it did not.
The Vikings re-signed Alexander Mattison, hinting at the RB1 job as his, not Cook’s.
Smith and the Vikings still have time to make amends, but it is a safer bet to assume he’ll be traded between now and the end of the 2023 NFL Draft. And the same goes for Cook. Smith and Cook are two somewhat valuable commodities, the Vikings have filled their spots on the current depth chart, and Adofo-Mensah needs draft picks. He can likely grab a couple of mid-to-late rounders for the duo.
The Vikings can free up about $20 million in cap space by trading Cook and Smith — plus the trade compensation. If Adofo-Mensah somehow waits until after June 1st, trading both would create roughly $26 million in cap space.
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 Viking 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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