Getty Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings warms up prior to the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 9, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
The future of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is one of the biggest question marks of the offseason, and the answer could reside with an NFC North Division rival.
The Vikings probably have to extend Cousins if they want to hold onto the quarterback, which would mean committing a lot of money to him this year, and for several more seasons to come, that will limit how Minnesota can improve the rest of its roster.
The formula of paying a QB big money can work, as examples like the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills have proven, but typically the opposite is true. Value at the quarterback position that couples high performance with lower cost is more likely to open a championship window and while Cousins’ statistics are elite, the Vikings’ on-field results during his tenure don’t match his $35 million paycheck in 2022.
ALL the latest Vikings news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Vikings newsletter here!
New Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has yet to mention his plans for Cousins, as his attentions are presently occupied by the selection of the Vikings’ next head coach. However, a trade shipping Cousins out of Minneapolis this offseason seems a more and more likely proposition.
Several potential trade partners have been floated, including the Cleveland Browns, the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Denver Broncos and the Philadelphia Eagles. But ESPN’s Bill Barnwell suggested a different, and considerably more surprising bedfellow in recent days — the rival Green Bay Packers.
Cousins to Packers Would Not Produce Rodgers in Minnesota
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty ImagesGreen Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
To be clear, the Vikings would not be swapping Cousins for the Packers MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers under Barnwell’s hypothetical scenario.
However, Rodgers has indicated several times over the last year that he may be ready to end his 17-year relationship with the team and hightail it out of Green Bay. If that’s the case, Cousins’ previous relationship with Packers’ head coach Matt LaFleur could provide a place for Minnesota to offload their pricey signal caller.
Barnwell laid out the situation in a piece published on Saturday, January 29:
The Packers aren’t trading Rodgers to the Vikings, but if they ship Rodgers elsewhere, would the Vikings consider trading them Cousins?
In a vacuum, I don’t think there’s any question the Packers would want Cousins. LaFleur was the quarterbacks coach in Washington when the organization took Cousins in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. When asked about his former pupil in 2020, LaFleur didn’t mince words, saying that Cousins “was an elite quarterback.” The Vikings have run a version of the Shanahan offense under Kevin Stefanski, Gary Kubiak and Klint Kubiak over the past three years, and while Cousins has disappointed at times, he ranks 16th in QBR over that timeframe.
Like anything, Green Bay’s interest in Cousins might depend on the price. There could be a meaningful trade market for Cousins, but if that’s not the case, the Vikings might just try to move on from him to clear out cap space. If that’s true, the Packers could loom as a logical landing point. Gutekunst would have to perform some cap gymnastics to get Cousins on the roster without giving the 33-year-old a meaningful extension, but there’s a universe in which Cousins and the Packers could be a fit.
Vikings’ Head Coaching Search Likely to Impact Cousins’ Future
GettyKirk Cousins, of the Minnesota Vikings, waves to fans as he leaves the field after a 31-17 win over the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 9, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
Adofo-Mensah will surely have the final word in what the Vikings ultimately do with Cousins, but whoever he lands on to coach the team is also going to have a say.
Per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network, Minnesota had narrowed their head coaching search down to three finalists as of Sunday: the San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, the Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh.
The Vikings are expected to make a decision between the three candidates by the end of the week. Once that domino falls, Minnesota’s next move will surely be to turn their attention to the situation under center and make what could be the most crucial decision of the new era of Vikings football.