Vikings Eyeing Quarterback Move, Insider Says

Getty The Vikings are approaching a crossroads with quarterback Kirk Cousins entering the final year of his contract in 2023. ESPN reporter Kevin Seifert speculated the team will need to address the position in the draft.

With Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins entering the final year of his contract next season, the new regime will have to turn its eyes to the future and life after Cousins.

ESPN’s Kevin Seifert previewed the Vikings’ needs just four months away from the 2023 draft, with quarterback being at the epicenter of his analysis.

Vikings’ Search for QB After Cousins Intensifies in 2023: ESPN Insider

With four weeks left in the regular season, ESPN called upon its NFL Nation beat reporters to preview each of their respective teams’ draft needs on December 14.

Seifert, who has covered the Vikings since 1999 with the Star Tribune and ESPN, revisited the unending search for the Vikings to find their quarterback of the future through the draft.

“One of these years, the Vikings will have to think about life after Kirk Cousins. He’ll turn 35 before next season, and barring another contract extension, will enter 2023 in the final year of his current deal,” Seifert wrote. “The Vikings’ unexpectedly successful season makes it unlikely that they’ll be in a position to select one of the top quarterbacks in this draft, but it’s a central team-building issue that is only going to intensify moving forward.”

Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman took two swings at a first-round quarterback, first as vice president of player personnel, in Christian Ponder (12th overall, 2011) and later Teddy Bridgewater (32nd overall, 2014).

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah pondered “burning it down” at quarterback in the offseason, but instead offered Cousins a one-year contract extension to free up enough cap space to make a budgetary bandage rebuild of the roster.

It hasn’t gone as planned.

The same shortcomings that haunted the old regime’s final years have surfaced, tainting Minnesota’s legitimacy as a contender this season despite being the No. 2 seed in the NFC. The defense, despite seeing a care package of veteran additions, has allowed the most yards in the league this season.

Moving onto a quarterback on a rookie deal would free up considerable cap space that Adofo-Mensah could use to build a team in his image after giving the team Spielman built a run.

With the NFC North division title in reach and the prospects of a home playoff game likely, it’s worked out well. But realistically, the Vikings’ hopes this postseason are to sneak into the conference title game with nearly every win coming down to the final play.

Approaching the draft, the Vikings’ most probably options at finding their quarterback would be to trade up in the draft or select a mid-round prospect they can develop behind Cousins for a year or two.

Rookie QB-Led Teams Tend to See More Success in NFL

In an article from the 33rd Team, a football think tank consisting of former NFL coaches, players and general managers, took inventory of the competitive advantage a quarterback on a rookie deal offers.

With rookie salaries locked leaguewide, a team with a young quarterback can get a discount at the position for four, sometimes five years with a fifth-round option. That leaves considerable savings that can be spent elsewhere.

Here is a list of each team to appear in the Super Bowl since the 2011-2012 season, per The 33rd Team. Teams with a quarterback playing on a rookie salary are highlighted:

While more quarterbacks on veteran deals have made the Super Bowl over the past 11 seasons, eight of the 12 veteran appearances were either Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

Meanwhile, seven different quarterbacks on rookie-scale deals made nine Super Bowl appearances in that span.

“Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes are two of the notable recent young quarterbacks who paved the way for their respective teams to enjoy dynasties while they played on their rookie contracts. Both the Seahawks and Chiefs brought in elite players at other positions to support their young quarterbacks, which became key to their remarkable success,” The 33rd Team article reads. “The main takeaway from looking at the history of recent Super Bowl teams is that if you do not have Tom Brady or Peyton Manning, having a quarterback on a rookie deal is the way to go.”

Sure, the Los Angeles Rams just claimed a Super Bowl less than a year ago going the veteran quarterback route with Matthew Stafford, much like the new Vikings regime has done this season. However, this season Los Angeles hit rock bottom due to veteran departures and injuries.

Meanwhile, a team like the San Francisco 49ers has been plagued with injuries at the quarterback position over the years but still finds themselves in contender conversations come December.

Adofo-Mensah admitted “you never want to go full Rams” in the offseason, and would rather have three or four chances at the postseason — an ideal window for a developing quarterback.

“If it were a seven-game series, yeah, best team wins,” Adofo-Mensah said in a July interview with USA Today Sports. “That’s ultimately why when you’re team building, you never want to go full Rams. Because you need to give yourself three chances at it, four years at it. I know that’s hard for fans to hear.”