The new Minnesota Vikings regime's "competitive rebuild" improved in 2023 when Danielle Hunter signed a one-year contract.
In his two offseasons as general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has not extended any Vikings player.
Kirk Cousins, who won 13 games with the Vikings after a one-year contract extension in 2022, did not receive a long-term agreement this offseason.
Adofo-Mensah is helping the Vikings shed aging veterans while still making the playoffs. But a quarterback after Cousins, whose deal ends after 2023, will determine whether Minnesota stays in the middle or makes a strong run.
On July 29, Bleacher Report's Alex Ballantine suggested that the Vikings trade third- and fourth-round draft picks for San Francisco 49ers dual-threat quarterback Trey Lance to answer the quarterback conundrum.
Minnesota needs a Kirk Cousins exit. The veteran quarterback will be 35 before the season starts, and the franchise keeps pushing his money into vacant years.
This team shouldn't be bad enough to draft a top quarterback in the near future. That would take a major deal like the San Francisco 49ers' 2021 selection move from 12 to 3.
Trey Lance is mostly unknown. He's tried just over 100 passes and made four starts while waiting behind Jimmy Garoppolo and suffering a season-ending ankle injury.