Examining What The Vikings Should Do With Their Starting Quarterback
The Minnesota Vikings have come to a fork in the road. After beginning a search for a new head coach and general manager, Minnesota seems to be on the cusp of a new era. The next general manager of the Vikings will have to deal with one big question: what should Minnesota do with Kirk Cousins? Cousins has a $45 million cap hit in 2022. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of all of Minnesota’s options to deal with a cap hit that large.
Extending Kirk Cousins
Extending Kirk Cousins’s contract would lower the cap hit for this year. Cousins’s stats seem to justify an extension. Cousins consistently throws for over 30 touchdowns and 4,000 yards every season. Kirk also provides stability at the quarterback position. The Vikings are a franchise famous for turnover at the quarterback position. Cousins would also be a great quarterback for a young quarterback to learn from. Extending Cousins would allow the Vikings to bring in a young quarterback and allow them to be coached by Cousins.
There’s more to dissect here. Despite Kirk Cousins’s flashy numbers, the Vikings have only made the playoffs with him once. Cousins only has 1 season where he reached 10 wins. In all his other seasons, Cousins hovers around 8 or 9 wins. It’s evident from his time in Minnesota that Cousins is not a strong leader. When it matters the most, the offense has slumped and went to sleep. Kirk Cousins is streaky as well, often putting up excellent numbers over a 5 game stretch and then struggling through the later parts of the season. While extending Cousins is the easiest solution, the Vikings would have to accept mediocrity. Cousins has proven he can’t get Minnesota over the hump.
Trading Kirk Cousins
The biggest benefit of trading Kirk Cousins would be getting rid of his cap hit for the 2022 season. This would allow Minnesota to spend money on positions that desperately need help. The offensive line has been in need of a rebuild for years. The Vikings defense is also in need of improvements. Outside of Patrick Peterson, the Minnesota secondary was awful this last season. The run defense was one of the worst in the league as well. Getting rid of Cousins’s salary would allow Minnesota to rebuild these positions through free agency.
Trading Cousins would leave uncertainty for the near future however. The Vikings don’t have a clear successor to Kirk Cousins. There’s no standout quarterback in the 2022 draft class. Minnesota would likely have to sign a bridge quarterback like Ryan Fitzpatrick or Teddy Bridgewater and ride the season out. With such a high cap hit, the Vikings might also have to pay some of Cousins’s 2022 salary. Not a lot of teams would be willing to take on such a high cap causality.
Ride Out The Cap Hit
It would hurt, but this is also an option. The Vikings could bite the bullet and pay Kirk Cousins’s 2022 cap hit. It would provide Minnesota with a bubble year. They’d have an opportunity to bring in another young quarterback and have them learn under Cousins. The 2022 quarterback draft class isn’t exceptional, but there’s talent there. Trading up to possibly get Matt Corral and allowing him to learn under Kirk might be a good long term move for the Vikings.
Unfortunately, this would mean accepting that the 2022 season is a bust. Taking on Kirk’s cap hit wouldn’t allow the Vikings sign key players that can help their struggling positions. We’ve watched this over the past few years, with a horrible Vikings offensive line. Kirk Cousins has also shown he’s unable to lead this team to the postseason. Hanging onto Cousins for another year would likely mean the Vikings sitting on the couch come late January, 2023.
Final Thoughts
Trading Kirk Cousins is the best option. After 4 years and 1 contract extension, the Vikings have only 1 playoff win. Kirk’s time in Minnesota feels like it has come to an end. With a new head coach and general manager, it makes sense for the Vikings to move on. The Broncos have already emerged as a top trade candidate. Trading Cousins to the Broncos and then signing a bridge quarterback seems to be the best option for the future of the Vikings.
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