In the second year of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s tenure as general manager, he has continued his “competitive rebuild” of the Minnesota Vikings.
The first season was a success with 13 wins and an NFC North title. But steps that need to be taken to ensure the team continues its progress. Adofo-Mensah showed his vision for the future by cutting high-priced veterans like Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks. He also emphasized the present by signing Byron Murphy Jr., Marcus Davenport, and Josh Oliver in free agency.
All of this gives us some sense of Adofo-Mensah’s overall plan. Still, we have no idea what he wants to do at quarterback.
The latest wrinkle in this melodrama came on Sunday morning when ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler mentioned that some NFL executives believe that the Vikings are “a wild card” when it comes to acquiring Lamar Jackson.
With Kirk Cousins entering the final year of his contract, the Vikings could theoretically swoop in and add the former MVP. But there are other factors to consider, including whether this is the time or the place to go in on another highly paid quarterback.
It starts with an honest assessment of Cousins. He took several important steps as the leader of this team last season, but he also did so at age 34. The idea of extending Cousins, who will be 35 by the start of the 2023 regular season, is clear as mud – especially with Cousins’ preference for short-term, fully guaranteed contracts.
If the Vikings were to strike a three-year deal with Cousins, it would not only be in the $40 to $50 million range set by Daniel Jones’ four-year, $160 million contract this season. It would take him into his late 30s.
Therefore, the Vikings will probably allow Cousins to play out the final year of his deal as opposed to signing him to another extension. It’s also why Minnesota was rumored to be active when scouting quarterbacks at the draft, meeting with Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis.
Before anyone starts thinking the Vikings could jump up to trade for one of the top prospects in this year’s draft, they would need to find the draft capital to do so. Minnesota only has five picks in next year’s draft, and trading up to get their guy would hinder their ability to build a strong supporting cast around whoever that is.
The Vikings could make up for this with the $58 million in cap space they are projected to have according to Over The Cap. However, they could also use a less patient approach by signing Jackson to an offer sheet.
Jackson and Baltimore Ravens have been in a staring contest over a new contract for the past year. Jackson wants a fully-guaranteed deal similar to the five-year, $230 million contract the Cleveland Browns gave Deshaun Watson last offseason. The Ravens believe that they can’t fill the holes on their roster by giving a quarterback that much money.
Instead of biting the bullet like the Vikings have with Cousins, the Ravens opted to give Jackson the non-exclusive franchise tag, which allows him to negotiate with other teams. If he signs an offer sheet, Baltimore has the right to match the offer and keep their franchise quarterback. Or they can let him walk for two first-round picks.
From Minnesota’s perspective, it’s the difference between making lasagna from scratch or getting a frozen lasagna to throw in the oven. Instead of negotiating with a team that knows you’re desperate, you can just sign Jackson for two first-round picks and be done with it. The problem is that you also have to come up with a contract crazy enough for the Ravens to say, No thanks.
For conversation’s sake, let’s say the Vikings gave Jackson a ridiculous amount of money. Would they be any better off than the seven-to-nine-win seasons they had before last year? Or would Jackson be able to elevate the Vikings into a legitimate contender?
It’s hard not to believe that Jackson wouldn’t make the Vikings a better team. After years of being handcuffed by Greg Roman, Jackson could finally work under a great offensive mind in Kevin O’Connell. Instead of having Demarcus Robinson as his top receiver, he could upgrade to Justin Jefferson. T.J. Hockenson could explode if the Vikings use him in a similar role as Mark Andrews.
This isn’t just limited to the passing game. Minnesota’s running game lacked efficiency last year to the point where O’Connell sounded a lot like Mike Zimmer at the scouting combine. Since then, the Vikings have signed Oliver to be a road-grader at tight end. They also re-signed Alexander Mattison, a suitable option who could either serve as a reliable part of a committee or start in the event they trade Dalvin Cook.
The running game could be fine as is, but adding a quarterback who has rushed for over 600 yards in each of his five seasons could take it to another level. It could also take an offense that was seventh in points scored and total offense and turn it into a legitimate top-five unit.
Of course, the NFL has a salary cap. If the Vikings chose to give Jackson roughly $50 million, would they have the infrastructure to keep the rest of their roster afloat?
When Cousins arrived in Minnesota in 2018, the answer was a resounding yes. Fueled by the 2015 draft class, the Vikings had plenty of affordable stars in Eric Kendricks, Stefon Diggs, and Danielle Hunter. That core helped the team go all the way to the NFC Championship game.
Former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman believed that adding an established quarterback could take the team to the next level. In theory, it was believable. In reality, the Vikings missed the playoffs.
The rest of Cousins’ tenure has been a lot like a game of Whack-A-Mole. Each year the Vikings thought they had solved the issues that plagued them the year before, but the salary cap caused another issue to pop up.
Jackson is a quarterback who can overcome more of those flaws, but it would create the same issue. The Vikings are already pressed against the cap and looking for a cornerback, defensive linemen, linebackers, a WR2, and several other young players who can contribute in the future.
It’s not the same situation that a team like the New York Jets are in where they are planning to insert Aaron Rodgers next to Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Breece Hall and a top-five defense. Most of those players are also on rookie contracts.
There is a perfect situation for a quarterback like Jackson to join the Vikings, but they currently don’t have the infrastructure needed to make it happen. Jackson could squeeze out a couple more wins, but he could wind up in the same situation he’s in with the Ravens — a team that’s good but not good enough.
Perhaps that’s the thesis of the competitive rebuild, in which Adofo-Mensah will be entering the second year of a four-year contract. If Jackson is the key, the Vikings will choose to make it happen. But they might be better off trying to find their own solution.
