It’s a normal Tuesday in the Twin Cities. A group of Minnesota Vikings fans is waiting in line at the local post office when Rick Spielman and Kirk Cousins walk through the door. Cousins has his head down as he walks over to the change-of-address station, and Spielman has a giant smile on his face.
“Nothing to see here,” Spielman announces to the crowd. “Kirk’s just taking care of his business.”
Cousins’ frown grows as he jumps into line, and Jimmy Garoppolo walks in after him. Garoppolo is looking as happy as can be. He high-fives Spielman as he jumps into line. Everyone suddenly has questions for Spielman about the trade rumors circling around Cousins, but Spielman stays the course.
“Kirk is our guy,” Spielman explains. “I told you guys. There is nothing to see here. Just a couple of quarterbacks taking care of some business! That’s all!”
Perhaps this is an example of Rick-speak gone too far, but it makes a point that we should all remember — we can’t trust a word that Rick Spielman says about a potential trade.
This story begins back in 2013 when the Vikings were rumored to be shopping Percy Harvin. Any general manager will bluff when a player is on the block, but Spielman isn’t one to leave any doubt.
“Percy Harvin is under contract, and we expect him, just like all of our players under contract, to be here,” Spielman said at the time. “Again, there is no intent to trade Percy Harvin.”
It didn’t take a private investigator to realize that Harvin was indeed on the block. His frustration with the Vikings was growing, and it got to the point where Harvin threw a weight plate at the face of Leslie Frazier, who might be the nicest coach in NFL history. The Vikings could not co-exist with Harvin, and (lo and behold) he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks.
This scene played out again the last offseason with Stefon Diggs. Frustrated that the Vikings were considering bringing back the wishbone offense, Diggs wanted out of Minnesota. Diggs floated smoke screens all over social media, and Spielman was having none of the rumors that followed.
“There’s no reason to anticipate that Stefon Diggs is not going to be a Minnesota Viking,” Spielman said.
Three weeks later, Diggs was traded to the Buffalo Bills.
The Diggs trade was a solid sequel to what transpired with Harvin seven years ago. But every great sequel needs a third installment to wrap up the trilogy.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Spielman was asked whether the Vikings could trade Cousins this offseason. With a quarterback roulette wheel spinning across the NFL, rumors have flown that Cousins could land in San Francisco, Denver, or virtually anywhere else that could be looking for a quarterback. Yet Spielman maintained his poker face.
“I think Coach Zim put that to bed when he spoke after the season,” Spielman said. “Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. I know there’s a lot of rumors out there, but Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We felt that he played very well, probably the best that he’s ever played down the stretch last year. … I’m excited for him and what he’s going to bring to our team next year.”
With Mike Zimmer echoing those sentiments in February, it seems like Cousins will be under center for the Vikings in 2021…in the same way that Diggs “will be a Minnesota Viking” in 2020.
The situation with Cousins could come down to getting an offer Spielman can’t turn down. With Diggs, the Vikings were reportedly never considering a trade until the Bills gave them a “Godfather offer.” With his glut of draft picks, Spielman cashed in his chips and turned it into Justin Jefferson.
The same scenario could play out later this offseason with Cousins. At 32 years old and a $45 million cap hit for 2022, the Vikings have to at least keep their eyes out for any potential offers. That may not be available at this moment but could pop up once teams acquire their starting quarterbacks.
It may seem like a pipe dream, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter took the over on 18 starting quarterback changes for next season. If Kyle Shanahan sends a late-night text offering Garoppolo in a variation of the Matthew Stafford deal, Spielman might not be able to turn it down.
The same goes for Danielle Hunter, who has also been shrouded in rumors. As a 26-year-old freak defender, the Vikings would be wise to keep him. But if some team comes calling with a Khalil Mack package, Spielman may have to pull the trigger.
Such is life as an NFL general manager. Spielman has been a master at forcing teams to call his bluff in a game that’s similar to poker. Should Spielman find himself with another winning hand, we’ll have another reason not to trust anything he says about a player on the block.
