Minnesota Vikings Moving On From Kirk Cousins?

Aloha, Skoloholics! Recent moves indicate that the Minnesota Vikings may be considering moving on from starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

As we know, this is the silly season, so you have to keep that in mind when trying to analyze any news you hear. NFL General Managers are kings of using smoke and mirrors, especially at this time of year when each team is jockeying for position prior to the draft. Teams are making moves to land their favorite free agents, and put themselves into position in the draft where they can land as many of their targets as possible.

Hmmmmmmmmm

That being said, when you look at recent moves the Vikings have made, and also consider some comments that are being leaked by Vikings insiders, it makes you go hmmmmmmmm.

Alrighty, I got that out of my system. I still remember when that song came out. I’m old.

Cousins’ Contract

The Vikings recently made some adjustments to Kirk Cousins’ contract. On March 14th, they converted a $20 million roster bonus into signing bonus, and also added two void years to his contract. They are allowed to do this without consent by the player, as it doesn’t affect pay, it only affects when the team absorbs the cap hit for the contract.

This move cleared $16 million on the 2023 cap, but it also gave the Vikings an interesting option. The team could trade Kirk Cousins with a post 6/1 designation, and it would give the Vikings an additional $10 million in cap savings in 2023. They would absorb an additional $28.5 million in dead cap in 2024, which they will incur whether they trade Cousins or not. This is a lot of dead cap, but this is dead cap that the team already has coming to them.

Rumors?

Thanks to Lifer for pointing this out and sharing the images below. On the latest Access Vikings podcast on the Star-Tribune, Andrew Kramer reported that Kirk’s camp proposed what they felt was a fair contract to the Vikings, and were surprised when the Vikings rejected it. Then, Ben Goessling shared that the Vikings are a bit enamored with the idea of having a quarterback on a rookie deal. They refer to it as a financial hack.

I know, this could very well be Kwesi-Adofo Mensah leaking information to get Kirk’s camp to cave a bit more on the contract, or for any number of other reasons. For discussion’s sake, let’s assume that there is truth to some or all of the above statements. That would indicate that the Vikings are looking for their QBOTF via the NFL draft, and most likely in 2023. Kirk Cousins is under contract for 2023, so they have options.

Options

One option is to draft a QB in this year’s draft, let him sit a year under Cousins, then allow Cousins to leave via free agency in 2024. This would likely land a compensatory third-round pick for the Vikings in the 2024 draft. This route seems the cleanest and most likely to happen. Another option that the Vikings have is to try to trade Cousins now and obtain some valuable draft capital heading into the 2023 draft.

Might the Vikings be looking to pull off a trade for Cousins prior to the draft? The downside of this is that they would be trading away a reliable and durable starter at a very important position. The upside is that they would FINALLY draft their quarterback of the future. I am aware of the no-trade clause in Cousins’ contract, and this certainly makes this move more unrealistic. However, it is not impossible, you would just need permission from Kirk as he would have to be willing to waive his no-trade clause.

Move on from Cousins

Cousins is 35 years old, and some fans feel that he has not produced at a level commensurate with his level of pay. Cousins arrived to a team coming off an NFCCG and was supposedly a QB away from being elite. The Vikings signed him to a fully guaranteed contract and made him the highest paid QB in the NFL at the time of signing, and I think this is truly the crux of most fans’ angst about the quarterback. The team has not been able to achieve the same success that they had prior to Cousins arrival, and it’s been five years.

Keep Kirk Cousins

Other fans point to the impressive stats that Cousins compiles year in and year out. He’s also been the most durable quarterback in the league, missing no time for injury while here. Kirk Cousins has been a great leader on the field and in the locker room, and has helped propel Justin Jefferson into super-stardom. I think that fans often overlook the value of having a steady presence under center. I’ve been a Vikings fan a long time, and I remember years of abysmal quarterback play. Remember Spurgon Wynn? Remember the Josh Freeman game? I won’t mention Christian Ponder. Oh wait, I just did. Anyway, you get the picture.

Trade Partners

Okay, so if the Vikings do decide that they have a solid plan for the QB position in 2023, then they need to find a partner. It takes two to tango, allegedly, and it also takes two teams to pull off a trade. The idea that gets me most excited is the Jets. Mick discussed this in this past weekend’s discussion. I love the idea because I think it’s a team that Cousins would agree to be traded to, and it would also put a masterful screw job to the Packers. The Packers would then be stuck with a disgruntled starting QB, as both camps have made it known that they want to part ways. It would create a disgruntled supposed QBOTF, as Jordan Love has been the presumed starter going forward, and to pull that away from him now would obviously not make him happy. Potential chaos in Entitled Town makes my heart happy. Besides the Jets, the 49ers are worth a mention as there is a supposed love connection between Shanahan and Cousins. Who else might the Vikings look at as potential trade partners?

 Loading ...

If They Trade Kirk Cousins

If the Vikings do decide to try to move Cousins, then what do they do at the QB position? Moving on from Kirk would create a vacancy, and if you want to remain competitive in 2023, you want to find someone reliable to steer the ship. Would they expect their new rookie to jump in and start immediately? If they don’t want to throw their new rookie directly into the fire, then they’d have to sign a quarterback to start for a year, unless they feel that Mullens can lead the team. Baker Mayfield may have been an attractive option, but the Bucs got him. There are other free agent options, per Spotrac. Teddy Bridgewater is a free agent, which would make me giddy, as I’ll always be a huge fan of his. Maybe Carson Wentz? I’m a sucker for anyone from North Dakota. Matt Ryan? Joe Flacco?

 Loading ...

The silly season is in full swing, and here we are, knee deep in the speculation. Join in the comments and share your thoughts! For even more discussion, check out the latest News & Discussion page, we have a new page daily. SKOL!!!!!!!!!