After five years of relatively good football followed by a disappointing 1-4 start to 2023, the Minnesota Vikings may have reached the end of the line with QB Kirk Cousins.
The Ringer’s Benjamin Solak talked Vikings on the Wednesday, October 11 edition of The Bill Simmons Podcast and suggested that Minnesota is likely to part ways with Cousins ahead of the NFL’s October 31 trade deadline.
“Kirk’s in the last year of his deal and I would be legitimately stunned if we see him in a Viking uniform in 2024,” Solak said. “This team desperately needs to infuse with youth and start a new era, and I think that you’re gonna see trade-deadline interest in Cousins.”
Solak mentioned both the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons as potential landing spots for the quarterback, contending that the smart decision for Minnesota is to go with backup Sean Mannion for the rest of the season after dealing Cousins for a meaningful 2024 draft asset.
“Accordingly, I could see them walking into the season playing the backup the rest of the way … and really, really, really trying to sink this thing,” Solak continued.
As the conversation continued, Simmons floated the notion of a trade with the Jets that brings back both a draft package and former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, who could compete with Mannion and potentially Nick Mullens down the line for starting reps.
“So if you’re Minnesota, maybe you get Zach Wilson back?” Simmons posited.
“Oh? A little new home, new Zach?” Solak responded. “That I don’t mind. I feel like the Jets will want to get Zach Wilson out because it’ll just get [rid of him], right? You kind of rid yourself of that polarizing figure.”
Kirk Cousins Attractive Trade Chip to Potential Contenders Due to Contract
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings looks to the sideline prior to an NFL game against the Los Angeles Chargers in September 2023.
If the Vikings decide to move Cousins at some point over the next three weeks, there should be no shortage of interest.
The quarterback’s base salary is $10 million this year, which Solak explained is paid out as game checks. The other $25 million is bonus money that the Vikings have already paid Cousins and will cost Minnesota against its salary cap in 2023 and over the next four seasons based on restructures, per Spotrac.
The Jets, Falcons or some other team trading for Cousins will only have to pay the pro-rated amount of Cousin’s $10 million base salary. That equates to a game check of $555,555.55 each week for the next 13 weeks — a total just north of $7.2 million for the remainder of the year if the Vikings deal the quarterback ahead of Sunday’s road contest against the Chicago Bears.
“In general, Kirk is a very, very attractive trade candidate right now,” Solak said.
Falcons More Likely Trade Destination than Jets for Kirk Cousins
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings throws a pass during an NFL game against the Philadelphia Eagles in September 2023.
While the Jets might be willing to cobble together a more attractive package for Cousins than the Falcons, or some playoff-contending team that suffers an injury between now and the end of October, the QB has a trump card — the no-trade clause the Vikings offered him when he extended through the 2023 campaign two offseasons past.
Vikings insiders have been adamant for much of the year that Cousins’ personality doesn’t mesh with the high-pressure, high-profile nature of playing quarterback for a New York-based franchise. Furthermore, Cousins’ wife has family in Georgia where she also attended college and where the two were married.
Cousins has been vocal about his desire to win late in his career and has historically been a cooperative actor in negotiations with whatever franchise is employing him. If Minnesota intends to tank the remainder of the season, which might include keeping injured wide receiver Justin Jefferson shelved for the rest of 2023, Cousins is unlikely to shut down all possible trades.
That said, he is also likely to wield the power contractually afforded him to go to a city and join a team he deems an appropriate fit for himself and his family. In the case of New York and Atlanta, the latter figures to be the better bet.
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Vikings Trade Pitch Swaps Kirk Cousins for Former No. 2 Pick