Getty Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins
Welp.
A cap-strapped team can dream, right?
A recent rumor that hinted at an opportunity for the Minnesota Vikings to offload Kirk Cousins and his massive contract was recently put to rest amid the idea that Cousins’ trade value has skyrocketed with Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson off the market.
Panthers ‘Laughed Off’ Rumor of Interest in Cousins
SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad reported on February 21 that the Panthers called the Vikings about a potential trade for Cousins.
Cousins has been a trade candidate entering the offseason due to his massive $45 million cap hit. If that remains in Minnesota, it will hamper newly hired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in building a roster in his vision for the upcoming season.
“They have gotten a call,” Zulgad said, per Inside the Vikings. “Now, from what I’ve heard, it went nowhere so far. But it’s interesting that the phone did ring at TCO [Performance Center] in Eagan and on the other end of the line…the Carolina Panthers. Quarterback-desperate. Panicked, I’m sure. I think if Matt Rhule and the Panthers don’t have a successful 2022, he’s probably going to be fired because that has not worked out. They cast their lot, in 2021, with Sam Darnold — didn’t work out. … Now, the Vikings supposedly said ‘Hey, let’s put a pin in that conversation. We don’t plan to move him now.’ But it makes sense that you would then try and drive things a bit.”
However, the Charlotte Observer’s Jonathan Alexander reported that “two sources said that call never occurred” and that the front office “laughed” at the rumor.
“The coaching staff and front office were actually in a meeting when they heard the news and laughed it off,” Alexander wrote on March 7, adding that the Panthers, with Sam Darnold on their books, are not in a position to pay Cousins.
Several QB Needy Teams Still Out There
While the Panthers are the only team rumored to have expressed interest in Cousins, several potential suitors are still out there.
Cousins has been linked in trade scenarios to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints. The Indianapolis Colts appear ready to move on from Carson Wentz, and while they’re already on the hook for some of Wentz 2022 earnings, a trade isn’t out of the question. The Washington Commanders are also a team in need of quarterback help.
Cousins’ trade value has never been higher with Wilson and Rodgers off the market, but again, the $45 million contract will make it difficult to garner significant draft capital.
But the hopes of the NFC North being wide open with the departure of Rodgers have been deferred. The Green Bay Packers have won 13 games and the division title the past three seasons under Matt LaFleur.
Next season is the Vikings’ best chance to win with Cousins, but his cap hit will make building a respectable defense behind him a tall task. And with Cousins being the best quarterback on the market, Minnesota shouldn’t shrug off any calls potentially offering first-round draft capital for him.