NFL rumors: Kirk Cousins trade bubbling beneath the surface

We know that Aaron Rodgers will be traded and Lamar Jackson could follow, but the Vikings trading Kirk Cousins is also on the table, per one NFL insider.

The quarterback market is expected to see some massive names on the move — or at least it could — this offseason. All signs point to Aaron Rodgers being on the move to the New York Jets, though we have less of an idea of when that will happen than ever before. Then there’s the possibility that Lamar Jackson could either be signed away on the non-exclusive franchise tag or traded too.

Apparently, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins might also be part of that mix, to the surprise of many.

Pro Football Talk NFL insider Mike Florio said on his show recently that talk around Indianapolis during the combine suggested that a Kirk Cousins trade between the Minnesota Vikings and San Francisco 49ers, calling it a “hot topic of discussion”.

That would certainly add a new layer to the conversation.

NFL rumors: Kirk Cousins trade on table for Vikings and 49ers

The notion of the Kirk Cousins trade to the 49ers was part of a broader topic of the future of Trey Lance in San Francisco. And if the Vikings were trying to trade their veteran quarterback, you have to wonder if that would mean they would be getting a fresh start with Lance in return.

In any case, it’s already been reported that the Vikings aren’t going to work out another extension with Cousins this offseason in the interest of seeing if the quarterback in his mid-30s will earn another full contract after this season. But it does seem clear that Minnesota is interested in potentially hitting the reset button at the position.

As for the 49ers, this team is in a quarterback nightmare with Lance, Brock Purdy and now Sam Darnold. Purdy has been named the supposed QB1 going into the offseason while the former No. 3 overall pick and Darnold are reportedly going to duke it out early in camp while Purdy recovers from offseason surgery.

So would this trade make sense? In a vacuum, yes. But as the draft moves closer, we’ll have to see if anything materializes with teams beginning to make even bigger decisions about the future.