In the offseason, the Minnesota Vikings decided not to extend Kirk Cousins’ contract past the 2023 season, thus putting their future at quarterback position under the microscope for the first time since the Cousins era began.
Cousins played for the Vikings with an uncertain future for the first time this season. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s decision not to extend Cousins signaled his intent to maintain cap flexibility and potentially find a new franchise quarterback in the NFL Draft.
But is it really time to let Cousins walk?
After a trio of unlucky losses to begin the season, Cousins and the Vikings righted the ship. A win over the juggernaut San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football brought national attention to Cousins’ elite play.
Despite losing Justin Jefferson to injured reserve with a hamstring injury, the Vikings had won three out of four games leading into a date with the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. That’s when Adofo-Mensah’s plans for the quarterback position got a little cloudy.
Cousins shredded the Packers for a little more than two-quarters of football before tearing his Achilles, abruptly ending his season just as the Vikings were turning things around. Cousins’ injury ignited many questions that Minnesota needed to answer in the short and long term.
The Vikings have answered the short-term questions since then. They traded for Joshua Dobbs, who led Minnesota to two wins in short order before the momentum quickly faded. Head coach Kevin O’Connell is handing the reigns over to Nick Mullens, the original backup quarterback when the season began, as the Vikings cling to the sixth seed in the NFC.
But Minnesota’s long-term quarterback plans are starting to take a different shape. Since the Cousins injury, a couple of things have become apparent. The first is that Cousins’ operation of the O’Connell offense needed more appreciation. Since the honeymoon phase of Dobbs’ tenure, the Vikings offense has only scored three touchdowns in their past three-and-a-half games. Cousins’ accuracy and timeliness carried O’Connell’s offense, and things started to fall apart with Dobbs filling in.
The other item that has become apparent is that Cousins might not demand the money in free agency he once could, thanks to the uncertainty of the Achilles injury. He’ll most likely be relegated to a short-term deal instead of a three- or four-year deal. Let’s face it, does any franchise want to lock themselves into a quarterback in his mid-30s coming off a torn Achilles?
Minnesota’s wisest course of action is to stick to the plan of drafting a quarterback of the future while retaining Cousins for another season or two. Of course, the Achilles injury presents a risk, and drafting the franchise quarterback represents the insurance plan.
It’s a common practice in today’s NFL. Many of the game’s best quarterbacks developed in this fashion. Patrick Mahomes sat for a season behind veteran Alex Smith. Jalen Hurts sat behind veteran Carson Wentz for most of his rookie season, and Lamar Jackson began his career watching veteran Joe Flacco. The Dallas Cowboys drafted Dak Prescott as a backup to Tony Romo. But Romo suffered a collarbone injury, thrusting Prescott into the starting role that he has not relinquished. He might be the MVP this season.
Minnesota’s roster and coaching staff have real championship potential. Remember, this team won 13 games just a season ago, with perhaps the NFL’s worst defense weighing it down. In 2023, new defensive coordinator Brian Flores revamped the unit, turning a weakness into a strength.
Minnesota’s roster has all the key ingredients of a championship team when healthy. There are elite playmakers on offense in Justin Jefferson and T.J. Hockenson. They have a solid offensive line led by two terrific tackles and an elite pass-rusher in Danielle Hunter. There are several versatile, multi-position players in Flores’ defense, like Ivan Pace, Josh Metellus, and Harrison Smith, who can create headaches for offenses. And they have a promising young cornerback in Mekhi Blackmon. That checks a lot of the boxes for a contender. If the opportunity is there to retain a top-10 quarterback in Cousins for a season or two, wouldn’t it make sense to take that chance?
Given the star talent currently on the roster at many key positions, it feels like the Vikings could be entering a Super Bowl window. By bringing back Cousins on a short-term deal, Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings can take a chance on that Super Bowl window and prepare for the long haul by drafting a quarterback of the future.
It’s a tried-and-true formula that has resulted in many successful franchise quarterbacks. The stable veteran leader finishes out the end of his tenure and passes the torch to the newly-anointed face of the franchise.
It’s the perfect plan for Minnesota’s current situation, and it would behoove Adofo-Mensah to consider the approach with the offseason looming.
