Kirk Cousins-To-49ers Trade Chatter Prevalent at NFL Scouting Combine

Cousins-to-49ers trade 'chatter' prevalent at scouting combine originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea

Kirk Cousins has been linked to the 49ers and their coach, Kyle Shanahan, for years now.

And that still seems to be the case, even after all this time. 

Mike Florio of "Pro Football Talk" 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 from late February to early March.

"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," Florio said last week while discussing if 49ers quarterback Trey Lance needs a fresh start elsewhere (h/t FanNation). "That was a hot topic at one point in Indianapolis."

Trade rumors surrounding the 49ers and Cousins go way back to Shanahan's first year in the Bay. Shanahan was Cousins' offensive coordinator for two seasons in Washington after hand-picking the quarterback in the 2012 NFL Draft, and whispers of a San Francisco deal for Cousins picked up steam back in 2017 after Shanahan became 49ers coach.

Those rumors never came to fruition, however, as the 49ers went into the 2017 NFL season with Brian Hoyer as their starting quarterback. They then acquired Jimmy Garoppolo in a midseason trade with the New England Patriots and signed him to a record-breaking five-year contract in the offseason as Cousins went from Washington to the Vikings in free agency.

And the rest, as they say, is history. 

But it's no surprise Shanahan again has been linked to a signal-caller he so clearly admires. And, again, the chatter Florio spoke of didn't become reality as the 49ers opted to bring in veteran Sam Darnold on a one-year contract to join Lance and Brock Purdy in the quarterback room for the 2023 season.