San Francisco newspaper calls Vikings QB an ‘obvious’ trader

Tom Brady retired Wednesday, the first final domino of the NFL’s annual quarterback carousel. He will not join the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings or any other team in 2023. He rides into the sunset – with a golf course nearby.

But with the 49ers mayhem at quarterback – Trey Lance broke his ankle, Jimmy Garopplo broke his foot, Broke Purdy injured himself at UCL – Kyle Shanahan’s club could be looking at a safer bet on the game’s most important position in 2023.

San Francisco newspaper calls Vikings QB an ‘obvious’ trader

Accordingly, a San Francisco Bay Area newspaper, The Merkur News, theorized candidates for the 49ers’ QB1 job in 2023, and Vikings QB1 Kirk Cousins ​​unsurprisingly made the list. Cousins ​​has been associated with San Francisco — often in the shadows — for about five years. Cousins ​​was a free agent in 2018, the 49ers were still in their Garoppolo honeymoon season and the Vikings signed Cousins ​​for megabucks.

But every offseason, right around this time on the calendar, people spit on how Cousins ​​could make his way to Shanahan’s 49ers. And 2023 is no different – not different at all. Cam Inman from The Merkur News mentioned Cousins ​​as an “obvious” commercial candidate for San Francisco, explaining the idea: “Shanahan has coveted Cousins ​​since their days in Washington a decade ago.” When you see her speak at the 49ers and Vikings joint drills in August, the chemistry remains. Shanahan planned to free agency make a game for Cousins ​​in 2018, but Garoppolo came into play with a Halloween 2017 trade.”

“Cousins ​​had a career-best 13 wins this regular season before losing to the Giants by a wildcard. His 4,547 yards marked the seventh time in eight years that he has surpassed the 4k mark,” Inman added of the benefits of delivering Cousins ​​to The Bay.

Cousins ​​set an NFL record for most game-winning drives in a single season in 2022 with eight. His overall stats fell slightly in 2022, but fans enjoyed 2022’s Cousins ​​more because of late-game heroism.

Inman also wrote of Cousins’ “downsides”: “His 1-3 record in the playoffs won’t inspire the 49ers Faithful if Brady is there to win it. Cousins ​​repeated as a Pro Bowl honors winner, but he did so while throwing 14 interceptions, double his 2021 total. Cousins ​​will be guaranteed $30 million for 2023 and then his contract will be void.”

Inman also suggested the team may need to wrap Minnesota’s Trey Lance in the hypothetical deal since the 49ers don’t have much draft capital to trade for Cousins.

The 49ers’ other obvious QB1 candidates included Tom Brady (who retired after Inman’s article was published), Aaron Rodgers, and the aforementioned Lance and Garoppolo.

Purdy, who had a great and unforeseen run at QB1, could be out for at least six months with the UCL injury, completely condensing the 49ers quarterback offseason plans.

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 Raun saw and Sal spice. His obsession with Vikings 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.