San Francisco 49ers trade interest could confirm NFL Draft regret

The San Francisco 49ers paid a hefty price to be able to draft Trey Lance in the 2021 NFL Draft, but it now appears they could be regretting that decision.

Kirk Cousins has emerged as a surprise trade option for the San Francisco 49ers to act as a temporary replacement for Brock Purdy as he recovers from an elbow injury. The West Coast side released Jimmy Garoppolo at the end of the season and have already signed Sam Darnold to battle with Trey Lance in the off-season.

This news signals the end to the Lance experiment, the 49ers traded three first-round picks and one third round pick to the Miami Dolphins to jump from number 12 to number 3 in the 2021 Draft. The price paid to sign the talented dual-threat quarterback was treated sceptically at the time and so far it has been an expensive mistake as Lance has struggled with injuries and inconsistency in his two years in the NFL.

The revolving door that is the 49ers starting job has been a troubling one for the team. Brock Purdy, the 2022 Draft’s Mr Irrelevant, broke out last year playing at an All-Pro level before his injury and is still being viewed as the long-term solution. In his absence Lance was named the starter but only appeared in two games and before Garoppollo became the de facto starter.

Now, however, Cousins has become an alternative choice according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. Florio recently revealed a trade scenario between San Francisco and the Minnesota Vikings for the 34-year-old quarterback was heavily discussed in league circles during the NFL Scouting Combine, held in Indianapolis in February and March.

Florio said: “Apparently, at the scouting combine there was some chatter, there was some noise, among people within the broader league structure, not the media, but people in the league about Cousins being traded to the 49ers.”

Cousins is a four time Pro Bowler and led the Minnesota Vikings to a 13-4 record in the regular season before losing in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Giants. Cousins registered the most interceptions of his career last year turning over the ball 14 times, he was also the third most sacked quarterback last year getting hit 46 times.

Whether or not Cousins is the solution to their quarterback woes, the 49ers have the luxury of cheap options in the position. Purdy currently is not counting against their cap hit as his contract is only the 53rd most expensive on the roster with the top 51 contracts being cap liabilities, Lance is due $9.3million this year.

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