In November 2021, former Washington Commanders head coach Jay Gruden went on a DC-area sports podcast and revealed Kyle Shanahan’s interest in Kirk Cousins. Shanahan coached in Washington from 2010 to 2013 and worked with Cousins after his father, Mike, drafted him in 2012. The San Francisco 49ers hired Shanahan as their head coach in 2017, and according to Gruden, they were willing to give up a lot to trade for Cousins.
Well, I don’t know exactly what we could’ve got, but I know it would’ve been more than just one [first-round] pick. I would imagine we could’ve got their number one for at least two years and then a couple of number twos, in my opinion.
Instead, Washington chose to franchise tag Cousins a second time. A year later, Cousins signed with the Minnesota Vikings for $84 million guaranteed. The Commanders didn’t get anything for him. So, why did they hold onto Cousins instead of trading him to the Niners for substantial draft capital?
It was San Francisco. Obviously, dealing with the Shanahans was something that they did not want to do. I don’t think they could stomach Kirk Cousins being successful for Kyle Shanahan.
Perhaps Jay Gruden is an unreliable narrator here. The Niners had the No. 3 pick in 2017, which they used to draft Solomon Thomas. Still, teams will give up a lot to land a quarterback. Maybe the Niners were willing to make a Godfather offer. Regardless, Gruden’s comments sparked a series of Cousins-to-San Francisco rumors that resurfaced at the draft this year. To paraphrase Stefon Diggs, there’s truth to all rumors. But it’s tough to ignore the Cousins-Niners buzz. Shanahan loves him, he’d be a great fit, and the Vikings are in the middle of a roster overhaul.
Typically, we don’t get to hear coaches speak about opposing players. The league forbids it because it’s tampering. But in March 2021, Shanahan made it clear how he felt about Cousins, a pocket quarterback who’s consistent in his reads and decision-making.
There’s a number of quarterbacks like that. But that’s the only one I’ve been associated with because people thought I was trying to bring him here, which I was at the time. It’s not because that’s how you draw it up. If you’re going to draw it up, you’re going to draw the biggest, fastest, strongest, and best quarterback in the pocket. So, I think that’s pretty ridiculous to say that. But I also tell you, I love Kirk. I know I’m not allowed to talk about other players, but Kirk’s a hell of a player, and a lot of people would be lucky to have a quarterback like that.
Shanahan didn’t confirm that the Niners were willing to give up two first-round picks and two seconds for Cousins in 2017, but he clearly would like to coach him. It felt like a shame at the time, given that Mike Zimmer was pretty out on Cousins. But since Spielman signed Cousins in 2018, he’s never hedged against him with another signal-caller. Sean Mannion backed Cousins up for most of his time here, and Mannion acted as another coach for Cousins rather than internal competition. Spielman took Kellen Mond in the third round of the 2021 draft, but he was a project quarterback.
The irony is that Cousins would probably be an excellent mentor to his heir apparent. He openly welcomed Mond when the Vikings drafted him, and Cousins is generally considered a good teammate. He also has the makeup of a quarterbacks coach. He’s meticulous in his preparation, progresses through his reads correctly in game action, and offers detailed self-criticism at the postgame podium. Cousins probably won’t return to the NFL after he retires, given he’s made enough money to eschew the headset and sidelines. It’s a shame because he’d have a lot to offer.
Take Cousins’ football intelligence and combine it with a quarterback who’s more mobile, processes faster, and has a higher risk tolerance, and you’d have a Hall of Famer. The only way to do that is to transfer Cousins’ knowledge to another player. Coaching, in other words. It’s understandable why Spielman didn’t want to put a young quarterback behind Cousins. He wanted to show total commitment to the player he gave $150 million guaranteed. And Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell had multiple positions to address in last year’s draft, so they couldn’t take a flyer on a project quarterback.
Still, the Vikings could have capitalized on Shanahan’s interest if they had created a contingency plan last year. Mond wasn’t going to be an option. They swapped Mannion out for Nick Mullens, who started 17 games in his career. But Mullens, 28, isn’t a prospect, nor is he a Jimmy Garoppolo or Derek Carr-caliber starter. Garoppolo or Carr would be too expensive for cap-strapped Minnesota anyway. However, if Mond were a more capable quarterback, or the Vikings could land a Garoppolo/Carr type in a subsequent trade, they could cash in on Cousins.
The Niners are uniquely suited for Cousins. They have a coach who wants to work with him, built their team around the run, and have an impressive defense. Cousins played better with O’Connell’s support last year and uses the play-action to set up shot plays. A good defense allows a team to win without a superstar quarterback, à la the Baltimore Ravens with Trent Dilfer or Joe Flacco. In some ways, San Francisco is a better version of the 2018 Vikings. As the new regime starts to pivot, it would be convenient if they had a player they could trade to load up on draft capital – especially in a year where they only have five picks.
But, alas, years of poor drafting eventually caught up to them. We’re far removed from Spielman’s masterful 2015 draft. Eventually, the veterans got expensive, and the Vikings didn’t have enough inexpensive young players to replace them with. Now they’re caught in cap hell. If Mond had been better, Minnesota might have been willing to use him as a bridge quarterback after trading Cousins. And if they had a less expensive roster, they could have sent Cousins to San Francisco and signed Garoppolo or Carr as a stopgap. Instead, Cousins has a $20.25 million cap hit this year and a $28.5 million hit next year after his contract expires.
Opportunity isn’t only about seizing the moment. It’s about being ready when it presents itself.
