Insider links Vikings' Kirk Cousins with 49ers

It appears some within the NFL believe the San Francisco 49ers have kicked the tires on making a move for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason.

"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," NFL insider Mike Florio said during an edition of his "Pro Football Talk Live" program, per David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone and FanNation's Jonathan Harrison. "That was a hot topic at one point in Indianapolis."

It was reported Monday that the 49ers could know about the status of presumed QB1 Brock Purdy for Week 1 of the 2023 season around two to three months after he underwent surgery on March 10 to repair the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. 2022 Week 1 starter Trey Lance is still recovering from the season-ending ankle injury he suffered in September and remains an unproven product. 

As for Cousins, he guided the Vikings to a 13-4 regular-season record and the NFC North title this past campaign before Minnesota fell to the New York Giants in the wild-card round of the playoffs. Kevin Seifert of ESPN noted on March 14 that Cousins restructured his contract for salary-cap purposes but remains on track to hit free agency after the 2023 season.

"It's a $38M cap charge," Florio added about Minnesota possibly trading Cousins. "But you know what? If you're going to swap out Kirk Cousins, you bring in a guy who's under a low-cost contract, like a Trey Lance. Trey Lance, North Dakota State, close to home, gets a chance to resurrect his career."

Just last week, 49ers general manager John Lynch suggested to reporters he doesn't yet want to shop Lance even though the 2021 first-round draft pick has likely been replaced atop the depth chart by a healthy Purdy. San Francisco has played in three of the last four NFC Championship Games and is ready to win now, though, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan previously served as Cousins' offensive coordinator in Washington.

Spotrac points out that Cousins' deal includes a full no-trade clause, so the veteran who turns 35 years old this August would first have to want to join San Francisco for such a transaction to work. The Vikings would also have to be sold on accepting Lance, while San Francisco would probably need to think that Purdy won't be 100% for at least a good chunk of the upcoming season.