The Minnesota Vikings’ plans for the quarterback position became solidified on March 19. On that day, all $45 million of Kirk Cousins’ salary for the 2022 season became fully guaranteed. With Cousins locked in for a massive payday, the Vikings threw cold water on the rumors of a potential trade.
Like a jilted lover watching the love of his life walk down the aisle with someone else, the San Francisco 49ers were forced to make their own plans. Following a trade-up to the third-overall pick in the draft, Kyle Shanahan is about to start a new life with Justin Fields or Mac Jones. These moves indicate that the dream of Shanahan and Cousins reuniting by the bay is dead. But like Lloyd Christmas realizing he has a one-in-a-million chance of hooking up with Mary Swanson, I’m telling you there’s a chance.
A potential deal to ship Cousins to the Niners makes more sense than ever. Both teams appear poised to walk down the aisle with their quarterbacks, but there’s still a time for a last-minute objection.
For the Vikings, plodding ahead with Cousins makes sense. He’s coming off the best statistical season of his career. With the addition of Dalvin Tomlinson, Patrick Peterson, and others on the defensive side of the ball, the Vikings are committed to winning next year.
But while Mike Zimmer may push to hang a banner at U.S. Bank Stadium for finishing fourth in total offense, that stat doesn’t tell the full story. His defensive extravaganza in free agency may lead the Vikings back into the playoffs, but the odds of getting past the best teams in the NFC are slim.
A more likely scenario is that the Vikings are in the early stages of building a core that can rise to the level of the Green Bay Packers or Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a 2020 draft class that included Justin Jefferson, Jeff Gladney, Ezra Cleveland, and Cameron Dantzler, the Vikings’ best chance at a Super Bowl window is another year or two down the road.
However, the Niners’ time is now. Two seasons ago they rode one of the most dominant defenses in the league to the Super Bowl. Last year, their revenge tour was derailed by the turf at MetLife Stadium, and they limped to a 6-10 season.
The pieces that made San Francisco so dominant are returning to the field this year. Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, and Solomon Thomas will all be back in the lineup on defense, and a healthy George Kittle will help the 49ers be more explosive on offense.
This inspired the Niners to become aggressive in finding their next quarterback. Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract resembles a Tracphone plan, so San Francisco could use him for one more year before handing the franchise to a rookie in 2022. But this also resembles the strategy the Vikings had in seasons where they had a championship window.
By taking a quarterback early, they could be too focused on the future as opposed to winning now. With a core that’s two years removed from going to the Super Bowl, acquiring a quarterback like Cousins would make more sense than drafting Jones or Fields.
That quest had to have started with Cousins, whose contract has been a ticking time bomb all the way to March 19. The 49ers have been linked to Cousins for over a year, first by ESPN and then by Twitter user Evan Massey.
Those reports are not substantive, but people start to pay attention when the head coach mentions the player by name.
If the 49ers called the Vikings earlier this offseason, there’s a chance they offered the same deal they had made with the Miami Dolphins to move up to No. 3. Two future first-rounders and a 2021 third-round pick had to sound good to Rick Spielman, but the 12th-overall pick in this year’s draft would have done the Vikings no good.
With Nos. 12 and 14, Minnesota would have had to make another trade up to get their quarterback — or take on Garoppolo. This wouldn’t be an effective strategy for Spielman and Zimmer, whose jobs may be on the line this season. That makes keeping Cousins and forging ahead a safer bet.
But the No. 3 pick has a different meaning for the Vikings. Instead of making a move and giving up No. 14 to do so, the Vikings could select the guy they want. If they like Justin Fields, he’s there for the taking. If the New York Jets pass on Zach Wilson, he’d be wearing a purple jersey on the spot. If they wanted they could go local and take Trey Lance.
Moving ahead with a rookie quarterback probably sounds terrifying for two guys who are on the last year of their respective contracts, but it could work out in their favor. More rookie quarterbacks are providing an immediate impact in a league that’s tailored toward the passing game. If you want proof, observe Cousins’ 2020 numbers compared to NFL Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert.
Even if you’re concerned about the passing ability of Fields and Lance, they’re able to scramble and make plays with their legs. Josh Allen had major question marks around his passing ability in the draft, but he stayed afloat by running for 421 yards and eight touchdowns during his rookie season. That’s not to say the 52.2 completion percentage Allen posted is acceptable, but put either player in an offense that has Dalvin Cook, Jefferson, and Adam Thielen, and it’s a pretty good situation.
A last-minute deal to ship Cousins to San Francisco is highly unlikely. The 49ers would be burning multiple assets just to trade something they could have had before moving up in the draft. This means they could ask the Vikings for something in addition to Cousins to recoup their assets from their previous trade.
But both sides would get what they want in this deal. The Vikings would get a potential franchise quarterback under a rookie contract and the 49ers would get the QB that has turned Shanahan into a walking Wolverine meme.
