NFL Rumors: Vikings' Kirk Cousins Focus of 49ers Trade Buzz at Combine; Deal Unlikely

Rumors of a potential trade involving Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins heading to the San Francisco 49ers persisted at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

"Cousins has been linked to San Francisco from the moment Kyle Shanahan became the head coach," Florio wrote.

"Kyle served as offensive coordinator in Washington when Kyle and his father, Mike, drafted Cousins in 2012. And Kyle has admitted that he planned to sign Cousins in 2018, with the 2017 trade for Jimmy Garoppolo derailing that intention."

The Vikings ended up restructuring Cousins' contract to free up $16 million in cap space. He is eligible to become a free agent after this season. Meanwhile, the 49ers signed Sam Darnold to a one-year deal, and he now joins Brock Purdy and Trey Lance in the 2023 quarterback room.

San Francisco's reported interest in Cousins makes sense even without the quarterback's connection to Shanahan.

The 49ers have big question marks at the position, with Purdy recovering from a torn UCL and Lance nearly missing all of last season with a broken right ankle. Jimmy Garoppolo has left for the Las Vegas Raiders, and it's unclear who will be QB1 in 2023.

Cousins could have filled that role, although it's certainly feasible that one of Darnold, Purdy or Lance excels under Shanahan.

For now, though, the 34-year-old Cousins is entering his sixth season in Minnesota, where he led the Vikings to an NFC North title and 13-4 record last year.