Welp, it didn’t take long now, did it? The Minnesota Vikings have gone an entire month since their Week 18 victory against the Chicago Bears. Yet, Skoldiers have wasted little time speculating over the future of the most polarizing player — Kirk Cousins.
With a staggering $45 million cap hit in 2022, everyone appears to have a strong opinion about what the Vikings should do at quarterback going forward.
“Trade Cousins and pick a quarterback in the draft!”
“Trade Cousins and sign a bridge quarterback!”
“Trade Cousins and hand it over to Kellen Mond!”
Considering Kirky’s career-long dance with mediocrity, the Purple People are completely justified in having a wandering eye for the most important position in all of sports. After all, the Vikings are a middling 34-30-1 (including playoffs) following four seasons of the Cousins experiment. And with other teams’ recent string of success with young quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Justin Herbert, Vikings fans can’t help but fantasize about having a young superstar signal-caller of their own.
While the quarterbacks above are quickly becoming the face of the league, have we already forgotten that the Vikings have gone 60 (SIXTY) years since they successfully drafted a franchise quarterback? They took Fran Tarkenton in the third round of the 1961 draft, and he later became league MVP in 1975 following a brief stint with the New York Giants. While the Vikings found stability with Tommy Kramer after spending a first-round pick on him in 1977, he ended his 13-year career in Minnesota with a sub-.500 record (54-56).
And after Kramer, this franchise spent first- or second-round picks on the following quarterbacks:
- Daunte Culpepper (1999) — 38-42 as the starter
- Tarvaris Jackson (2006) — 10-10 as the starter
- Christian Ponder (2011) — 14-21-1 as the starter
- Teddy Bridgewater (2014) — 17-11 as the starter
- Sam Bradford (traded their 2017 first-round pick) — 9-8 as the starter
Including Kramer, these first- or second-round quarterbacks have combined to go 142-148-1 in purple.
Suffice it to say, the “Screw it, just draft a quarterback” mentality hasn’t been particularly kind to this organization. Not to mention, this year’s draft is supposed to have one of the weakest classes in recent history. Is it fair to blame Minnesota’s historical shortcomings at quarterback on new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah? Of course not. Adofo-Mensah is, without question, garnering unwavering support. He appears to be everything this franchise has needed to finally get over the hump. Until proven otherwise, Vikings fans should have implicit trust in Adofo-Mensah leading the way in this new era of Vikings football.
But this year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks reeks of the 2011 class that featured Jake Locker, Ponder, and Andy Dalton. And unless Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell fall head over heels with a particular signal-caller, it’s probably wise to wait at least a year before spending a first-rounder on a quarterback.
Next, let’s tackle the just sign a bridge quarterback argument. While the NFL is full of former starters, is this the ideal remedy for an offense that features Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, one of the best wide receiver combinations in the league?
Do we actually think that bringing in someone like Dalton, Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota, or Jameis Winston will catapult this team into legitimate contender status in the NFC? Have we already forgotten that Winston went 7-9 and had 30 interceptions with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to throw to in 2019? Did Dalton light the world on fire with Allen Robinson in Chicago this past season? Is it a coincidence that Bridgewater has played for three different teams in as many years?
The Vikings have spent the past 30 years searching for bridge quarterbacks. Whether it’s Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George, Donovan McNabb, or Case Keenum, this approach hasn’t gotten them to the Super Bowl.
And when it comes to Mond, does former GM Rick Spielman’s track record with picking quarterbacks inspire a ton of confidence? Mond could take a significant jump in Year 2 under O’Connell’s tutelage for all we know. But it’s far-fetched to presume that Mond is ready to take the reigns of the franchise.
The “TRADE KIRK!” noise is tough to avoid around these parts. But even with Skoldiers clamoring for change at quarterback, I have a difficult time finding anyone who has provided a real solution to the quarterback position if/when the Vikings trade Cousins.
As much as it might pain Vikings fans to acknowledge, Cousins is one of the most reliable quarterbacks in the NFL today. Does he possess the same natural talent as a Mahomes or Allen? Absolutely not. But when it comes to playing efficient football on a week-by-week basis, Cousins is near the top of the league.
Since 2020, only Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady have recorded more weeks with a 100-plus passer rating. And while I understand that putting “Kirk Cousins” and “passer rating” in the same sentence is extremely divisive, my only question for skeptics of passer rating is: What’s a better metric for quantifying quarterback play?
It should go without saying that passer rating doesn’t account for a quarterback’s playmaking ability with his legs. And Cousins’ mobility is extremely limited. Passer rating doesn’t convey the immense value of someone like Lamar Jackson and his dynamic dual-threat capabilities. But Cousins’ steady play within the pocket is precisely why Kyle Shanahan had googly eyes for Minnesota’s quarterback before the Jimmy Garoppolo trade in 2017.
With the luxury of time at our disposal, do we really think Shanahan would’ve preferred Jimmy G over Cousins as his quarterback over the past five years? Me neither. And I’m guessing that Shanahan falls victim to the occasional dream of Cousins hitting Emmanuel Sanders on that vertical shot in the closing minutes of Super Bowl LIV.
As difficult as it might be for the Vikings faithful to fathom, another extension for Cousins is the only logical move here. And if there’s any fanbase that should know how rare consistent quarterback play is, it’s the Minnesota Vikings.
In a perfect scenario, Cousins and the Vikings would come to terms on a two-year extension that tacks on approximately $55 million to the existing $45 million that the Vikings owe him in 2022. That way, Cousins’ cap hit could level out at around $33 million over the next few years while the Vikings continue to search for a long-term solution at quarterback.
The $45 million cap hit on Cousins is devastating for the Vikings next season. Minnesota’s chances of competing are slim if Cousins plays out the final year of his contract. However, a team-friendly extension could provide the organization with stability at the position while still allowing Adofo-Mensah and O’Connell to survey the landscape over the next few NFL drafts in the hope of landing their true franchise quarterback.
Despite the many detractors that have already made up their minds on Cousins, he has shown that he can perform in critical moments. Cousins led game-winning and/or game-tying drives at the end of regulation or OT in the following games this past season:
- Week 1 @ Cincinnati
- Week 2 @ Arizona
- Week 5 vs. Detroit
- Week 6 @ Carolina
- Week 9 @ Baltimore
- Week 11 vs. Green Bay
- Week 13 @ Detroit
He even did so in a playoff game on the road in 2019.
Was Cousins flawless in every game? Of course not. But then again, the same can be said about every single quarterback in the NFL today. Does anyone remember Rodgers’ stinker against the New Orleans Saints in Week 1? Or how about Brady getting shut out at home against the Saints in Week 15?
Is Cousins the picture-perfect quarterback at all times for the Minnesota Vikings? We all know the answer to that one. But until an actual solution manifests itself, he’s the only option the Vikings have at competing in the NFC for the foreseeable future, including in 2022.
