Kirk Cousins will be going down with the ship.
Adam Schefter of ESPN shared on Sunday October 15 that the veteran quarterback, “Is expected to remain in Minnesota this season and will not look to waive the no-trade clause in his contract.”
He specifically mentioned the New York Jets as a team that was “linked” to Cousins since starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles on September 11.
Despite that, Schefter reiterated that “short of a contending team with a familiar offense losing its starting quarterback before the NFL’s Oct. 31 trade deadline, Cousins is expected to finish the season with the Vikings.”
Breaking Down the Jets-Cousins Speculation
With Rodgers the Jets didn’t only have playoff aspirations, but they also had Super Bowl dreams inside their building and amongst their fan base.
However, the moment he went down in a crumpled heap and the team was handed over to Zach Wilson, expectations changed dramatically.
That led to fans and media members speculating about what quarterback the team could acquire mid-season to keep those title hopes alive.
The most popular option that was floated out there was Cousins.
He is 35 years of age and is in the final year of his contract. The former Michigan State product is owed a $20.25 million base salary, but an acquiring team would only have to pay the prorated portion of that over the remaining games in 2023.
Cousins is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024 and his current team, the Vikings, are 1-4 through the first five weeks of the season.
The Purple People Eaters just lost their superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson to a hamstring injury. He was placed on injured reserve which will force him to miss a minimum of the next four games, although there are some reports that suggest he could miss as many as six weeks of action.
Despite the not so ideal circumstances with a poor record and the Vikings missing their brightest star, Cousins is performing at an extremely high level.
He is completing 67.2 percent of his passes, has a 13 touchdown to 4 interception ratio, and has thrown over 1,498 passing yards through the first five games of the season.
That is the third highest passing yards total in the NFL and he is No. 1 in passing touchdowns.
Jets Will Ride the Wilson Train Through the Rest of 2023
Head coach Robert Saleh emphatically said this is “Zach’s team” after Rodgers went down.
That message has only grown stronger over the last two weeks. Wilson was struggling in the early portions of the season, but since the Kansas City Chiefs game in Week 4 something has clicked for the former BYU product.
He has thrown 402 passing yards, has two touchdown passes and one interception, and has completed 72 percent of his passes.
Wilson admitted to the media that he is seeing the field better than ever before.
For better or for worse, this is Wilson’s team in 2023. The arrow is pointing in the right direction and up next is another stiff test against the Philadelphia Eagles.
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Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Makes Final Decision on Rumored Jets Trade