Getty Kirk Cousins could be a draft target fo the Denver Broncos this offseason.
The Minnesota Vikings were seemingly one piece away from a championship-caliber roster in 2018, leading to the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Four years later, Cousins may be on the move again.
The Vikings have floundered with deficiencies at numerous positions, especially on defense. Meanwhile, several teams seem to be a quarterback away from making a run.
The Denver Broncos are one of those teams. Given the familiarity with now-general manager George Paton, who was an executive in Minnesota for 14 years, Cousins could garner strong interest in an offseason trade with Denver.
Former NFL scout Daniel Kelly assessed the possibility of a trade between the two teams and projected the Vikings could acquire lucrative draft capital in exchange for the veteran quarterback.
The latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
Cousins Could Garner Top-10 Pick
Entering the final week of the season, the Broncos are slotted to pick No. 11 in the draft, a spot ahead of the Vikings, who would pick No. 12 if the season ended today.
Both 7-9 teams, Denver and Minnesota could jump up to the No. 7 spot in the draft or down to No. 16 depending on the results of the final week.
Kelly projected that the Broncos would be willing to trade their first-round pick and an additional pick for Cousins.
“The Broncos have lost their way since Peyton Manning was in town, and Cousins would seem to be the answer, at least he appears to be the answer statistically speaking,” Kelly wrote. “Minnesota’s management will be able to sell it to their buddy Paton, and Paton will be able to sell it to the Broncos’ nation.
“Look for Denver to deal their first-round pick to Minnesota and perhaps another pick in exchange for Cousins,” Kelly added.
Die-hard Vikings fan? Follow the Heavy on Vikings Facebook page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content from Skol Nation!
New Deal or Bon Voyage
The Broncos reached contract extensions with receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick, helping create over $48 million in cap space, making Denver a team that could take on Cousins’ $35 million cap hit, per OverTheCap.
The Broncos have the eighth-most funds to retool their roster in Paton’s second season as general manager. Meanwhile, the Vikings are $7.3 million over cap as the fourth-most cap-strapped team in the NFL.
Minnesota’s defense did Cousins no favors this season, but expecting a transformation next season with the Vikings’ finances in a bind will likely bring the same mediocre results. Budget free-agent signings, especially at cornerback, brought lackluster results.
Also, those same veterans on expiring contracts could sign elsewhere in the 2022 offseason with the salary cap recovered and teams having a higher cap ceiling to spend in free agency.
However, the Vikings aren’t buyers yet this offseason. Minnesota will have to create ample cap space to hit the market and find proven talent or reinforce the roster with NFL-ready rookies.
Cousins’ contract is the last of the team’s pricy deals ready for restructuring or an extension. Cousins likely won’t agree to the latter, but he could be on board for another extension.
The 33-year-old quarterback is slated to be the third-highest paid player at his position next season with a $45 million cap hit on the books — $35 million in his fully guaranteed base salary and another $10 million in a signing bonus.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry broke down the finances of Cousins’ contract and projected the Vikings could clear $20 million off the books with a four-year extension.
The Vikings should be able to comfortably clear $20 million 2022 cap space through a Cousins extension. One way this could be done is by is lowering Cousins’ base salary to a fully guaranteed $5 million while giving him a $50 million signing bonus on a four-year extension. There would be $10 million of annual signing bonus proration from 2022-26 to go along with the existing $10 million of signing bonus proration in 2022 relating to the 2020 extension. Cousins’ 2022 cap number would drop from $45,166,668 to $25,166,668 in the process.
If the Vikings cannot reach an extension with Cousins, he’ll likely need to be traded with a new regime taking over and wanting a tighter grasp on the purse strings.