The Minnesota Vikings remain locked in the same old holding pattern with Kirk Cousins and the longer they go in circles, the more likely their joint itinerary is to continue beyond 2023.
Cousins is under contract through next season after signing a one-year extension last summer. The last few months in Minnesota have been defined by a handful of questions, perhaps the biggest being where will the Vikings look for a long-term answer under center? Free agency offered a few reasonable options, but Minnesota sat out those particular quarterback sweepstakes. The NFL Draft held last weekend was the next opportunity, as Will Levis slid down the board and Hendon Hooker remained available when the Vikings went on the clock at pick No. 23, but Minnesota again took a pass.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell on Wednesday, May 3, listed Cousins as one of the draft’s big winners because of the decisions his team made, or rather those that it didn’t. Barnwell also predicted that Cousins could end up the Vikings’ QB of the future by default if he performs well this season.
“Minnesota made it through most of the weekend without adding real competition for [Cousins] before eventually using a fifth-round pick on 25-year-old Jaren Hall, who doesn’t project to be an NFL starter,” Barnwell wrote. “As a result, Cousins should be assured of starting through the entirety of the 2023 season. If he can help the Vikings stave off what is widely expected to be a decline driven by their record in one-score games regressing toward the mean, he might even be the guy in 2024 and beyond.”
Vikings Have Shown Lack of Faith in QB Kirk Cousins
Courtesy of VikingsMinnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
Ever since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah assumed the role of general manager in Minnesota, it has been clear that Cousins is not his preferred option at quarterback.
Adofo-Mensah had a chance to sign Cousins long-term one year ago. Instead, he extended him for one season. The Vikings had another opportunity to ink Cousins to a three-year extension this offseason after the QB’s representatives brought the proposal to the front office at a “discount” price. Minnesota passed again.
Cousins has been a Pro Bowler in three of the past four seasons and the thinking in Minneapolis may come down to nothing more than a simple choice — the Vikings won’t abandon Cousins for another quarterback until they are certain that player is both an upgrade in talent, value, or both.
If that is the philosophy, it’s hard to argue that it isn’t a strong one. Clearly, Levis and Hooker didn’t make the cut during the draft. Neither did Derek Carr or Jimmy Garoppolo in free agency before them. But Vikings brass is going to have to pull the trigger on a change at some point, or hitch their wagon to a player in Cousins who has been good throughout much of his career but never great enough to threaten a Super Bowl appearance, let alone a Super Bowl victory.
QB Kirk Cousins Appears to Fit With Vikings’ Plans for 2023
GettyHead coach Kevin O’Connell (left) of the Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins (right) talk on the sideline during a game against the Chicago Bears in January 2023.
Another element to the quarterback equation in Minnesota may be that the Vikings don’t believe internally in their ability to be a contender in 2023. That tracks considering the major changes taking place across the roster, which have seen expensive veterans like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks take their leave and be replaced by younger, cheaper options in Jordan Addison and Brian Asamoah II.
If the mandate in Minnesota is to be competitive without the expectation to necessarily win at a high level, then holding on to Cousins makes a lot of sense. However, the longer the Vikings wait to take a swing on a quarterback, the more the pressure will mount. Waiting on the perfect opportunity to replace Cousins could mean missing out on a good one and throw off the entire rebuild currently underway.
Of course, risk exists in the other direction as well — taking a big swing on a player like Levis or Carr and being wrong, then ending up too financially invested to make a better play that presents itself in the future.
At the very least, the dance Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell have done with Cousins and the quarterback position has been beyond interesting. It is the perfect study case for how difficult it is to be an NFL decision maker, especially when the decision being made involves the game’s most important position and none of the options available are surefire winners.
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QB Kirk Cousins Predicted to Earn Extension With Vikings