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After the quarterback position essentially became one of the main reasons why the San Francisco 49ers' season ended last year, the position has become a good problem heading into 2023. The 49ers have two starter-worthy players in Brock Purdy, who is recovering from a UCL injury he sustained in the playoffs, and Trey Lance. They also have a former first rounder in Sam Darnold on the depth chart. But that didn't stop ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio from recently floating a wild theory involving Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and the 49ers.
Florio's idea certainly makes sense in theory. The 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, who Florio points out, who could both need QBs in 2024, would have a “bidding war” for Cousins- the Vikings signal-caller is slated to become a free agent in 2024 after he and Minnesota failed to come to terms on a long-term contract.
It's entirely possible that Purdy could falter in his second season- and the 49ers find out the hard way that Lance just isn't going to cut it as an NFL starter. But even if both those things come to fruition, the 49ers still shouldn't pursue Cousins.
Here's why.
Would Kirk Cousins even be worth it for the 49ers?
Cousins is a fine quarterback who honestly might be a tad underrated by NFL fans. The Vikings QB takes so much flak for his primetime record that fans forget he has actually been pretty darn productive as a passer for his career.
Whether you put much weight into this statistic or not, Cousins is tied for eighth all time in passer rating, ahead of NFL Hall of Famers like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning.
He has thrown for 37,104 passing yards, 252 touchdowns and 105 interceptions in 11 NFL seasons. For all his production in the regular season, the one knock on Cousins has been his 1-3 playoff record.
But it really hasn't been any fault of Cousins, who has thrown for 1,047 yards, five scores and one interception in the postseason.
Cousins would probably be great on the 49ers, who have multiple All-Pro talents in Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel and George Kittle.
That's more talent than Cousins has ever played with. Reuniting with Shanahan, who was on the Washington Commanders' staff when they drafted Cousins, would be the cherry on top.
But would he really be worth it for the 49ers? The veteran QB, who will turn 35 in August, is definitely on the back-nine of his career.
Simply age-wise, Cousins would be more of a short-term fix at the QB position- not exactly what San Francisco needs.
Not only that, but the Cousins-type is a dying breed in the NFL today. He has never ran for more than 179 yards in a season- and has barely shown an ability to extend plays with his legs- so much so, that Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell gently urged his QB to tap into that ability more in 2023 in an interview with ProFootballTalk.
Every year, the NFL gravitates more and more away from the pocket passer and more towards the athletic, mobile passer who can extend plays.
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Cousins is the former. Is that really someone the 49ers want to get into a bidding war for?
The 49ers already have their QB of the future on the roster
Between Purdy and Lance, both of whom are 23 years old, the 49ers are set for the future at the QB position.
Yes, they only saw 5 regular season starts from Purdy, who was the last player selected in the 2022 draft. But in those five starts, San Francisco never lost- and Pury completed 67.4 percent of his passes while throwing 13 touchdowns against four interceptions.
Small sample size, but there's every reason to believe that a healthy Purdy will look just as good in the loaded San Francisco offense.
Meanwhile, Lance, who the 49ers traded three first round picks for, has yet to fully show what he's capable of.
Lance, who found himself caught up in trade buzz this offseason, has made just two starts in two seasons, thanks to injuries and being stuck behind Jimmy Garoppolo on the depth chart.
But Lance, a mobile QB who can extend plays and make big ones downfield with his arm, is the prototypical passer in today's NFL.
San Francisco will have to hope that Lance shows them something in 2023, as they'll have a chance to exercise his fifth-year option on his rookie contract in the 2024 offseason.
But where things stand now, the 49ers have a bright future at the QB spot.
Final thoughts
Even in the worst-case scenario- Purdy regresses and Lance doesn't show the 49ers anything- there are still smarter options for the 49ers than tying themselves financially to a QB who will be 36 in the 2024 offseason.
