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The Minnesota Vikings have some big decisions to make when it comes to the future of the quarterback position for the franchise this offseason. Deciding what to do with Kirk Cousins will be the starting point.
Cousins has been one of the league’s better starting quarterbacks in his six years in Minnesota. But, a torn Achilles last year in the midst of what could have been a career year complicated the path forward.
In the eight games he played in, Cousins was tremendous. Despite superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson missing time, Cousins threw for 2,339 yards and 18 touchdowns against just five interceptions. When you add in the fact that the Vikings had a poor running game, those are really impressive numbers. Over a season, that would come out to around 4700 yards and 38 touchdowns.
But, at 35-years-old, and coming off one of the most severe injuries in sports, Kirk Cousins is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Make no mistake, someone is going to give Kirk Cousins a ton of guaranteed money this offseason. There are simply too many teams who desperately need an upgrade at quarterback. For all but a dozen teams in the league, the Kirk Cousins we’ve seen the last few years would inarguably be an upgrade. It’s important to note that the Vikings are not able to use the Franchise Tag on Kirk Cousins this offseason.
But, a report from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says the Vikings are reluctant to give Kirk Cousins a ton of guaranteed money. While that seems risky, it does make some sense.
With the team having the 11th pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, they could absolutely make a move for a quarterback. The roster isn’t perfect by any means. But, it’s definitely a situation that would be pretty favorable for a highly-drafted rookie. Plus, they could use the savings on not paying Kirk Cousins and instead having a quarterback on the rookie scale to upgrade the roster at other spots. The running game could certainly use a boost, especially if they are playing a young quarterback.
Still, it is a big risk to let one of the league’s most consistent quarterbacks who has a great rapport with Justin Jefferson to walk. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a tough decision to make here, for sure.