Getty Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to play more consistent the more he adopts Kevin O'Connell's offense, the coach said entering Week 5 of the 2022 season.
The Minnesota Vikings‘ loss to the previously winless Detroit Lions in Week 13 has sent followers of the franchise looking to the future.
What that future might look like remains a mystery.
Head coach Mike Zimmer is the top candidate on the chopping block, but if the Vikings genuinely want to make a foundational change to their roster, that may come at the expense of trading away quarterback Kirk Cousins to create cap space and accumulate draft capital.
Cousins, playing some of the best football of his career, is garnering plenty of trade interest already, recently named a prime fit with the New Orleans Saints.
However, a new contender for Cousins has emerged and will get a good look at the Vikings quarterback.
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Steelers in the Market for Cousins
Cousins could have an audition ahead of him when the Pittsburgh Steelers visit U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis for a primetime Thursday Night Football matchup in Week 14.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor reported that the face of the Steelers franchise, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, is beginning to tell teammates this will be his last season playing in the NFL, leaving a void at quarterback the Steelers could be aggressive in filling this offseason.
Pryor named Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and Cousins as two potential trade targets for the Steelers.
“Two other tradable veteran quarterbacks to keep an eye on are Carr and Cousins, who both have one year left on their deals. Both the Raiders and the Vikings appear at a crossroads with their respective quarterbacks and coaching staffs,” Pryor wrote. “The Raiders (6-5) already fired Jon Gruden, while Vikings coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman are approaching the hot seat with the Vikings sitting at 5-6. If ownership decides to start fresh in either situation, the Steelers could make a play for Cousins or Carr, although Cousins is the most expensive of the bunch.”
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Cousins Could Attract High-Value Draft Capital
Before the 2021 season, Cousins likely wouldn’t have warranted any significant draft capital considering a prospective buyer would have to pick up his salary.
But since piecing together an impressive campaign, throwing 25 touchdowns and only three interceptions in 12 games this season, and leading numerous late-game scoring drives, Cousins could attract an offer the Vikings’ regime can’t refuse.
Cousins carries the third-largest cap hit of any NFL quarterback next season with $45 million on the books for the soon-to-be 34-year-old quarterback. Regardless of whether Cousins is cut or traded away, the Vikings are on the hook for his $10 million signing bonus — leaving a potential $35 million in cap savings approaching an offseason that the team will need to revamp a defense filled with veterans on expiring contracts.
The NFL salary cap is estimated to skyrocket from $182.5 million this season to $208.2 million in 2022 — a jump of nearly $26 million, per NFL.com. The added cap space gives Minnesota more wiggle room to build its 2022 roster, and it also alleviates the dire cap situation that has plagued the franchise the past two offseasons. The Vikings may be unwilling to part ways with Cousins merely for offloading his salary next season.
A trade sweetener of either a first- or second-round pick may be needed to get Minnesota to consider picking up the phone with a potential buyer — and there look to be plenty of them in an offseason where no true blueblood quarterback prospects are upcoming in the 2022 draft.
The Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos also make for intriguing buyers this offseason given their ties to the Vikings franchise — former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski leading the Browns as head coach and Broncos general manager George Paton helming Denver after a long history as an executive in Minnesota.
Both franchises have unstable quarterback situations overshadowing otherwise playoff-caliber rosters. A trade for Cousins would present a win-now mentality for either team with defenses that can complement Cousins much better than the Vikings have this season.
That potential could fetch a pretty penny in the trade market, whether the Vikings are selling or not will be determined in the final five games of the regular season.
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Vikings’ Kirk Cousins Linked to AFC Powerhouse Franchise in 2022