Cousins to Broncos? The Chatter is Back.
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings trudged through about two weeks of Kirk Cousins-less trade rumors. It was a good run. The last widespread nugget of gossip involved a swap of Cousins to the Denver Broncos for quarterback Drew Lock and draft picks. The hearsay quickly subsided because – you guessed it – it was unsubstantiated.
On Thursday, though, the Cousins Sweepstakes reignited in the wake of the Carson Wentz trade. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback was sent to the Indianapolis Colts for two draft picks – a 2021 3rd-Rounder and conditional 2nd-Rounder in 2022. The 2022 pick can transform to a 1st-Rounder if Wentz plays 75% of snaps in 2021. That should be a doable goal if Wentz is any good. This transaction also reunites Wentz with the coach that brought him into this world, Frank Reich. When the Eagles won a Super Bowl in 2017, Reich was the offensive coordinator.
By default (yes, sarcasm), Cousins is now on the trade block because Wentz was jettisoned to another team. This is how offseason logic works when a franchise quarterback is not appreciated.
SKOR North started the dialogue this time.
Kirk Cousins to the Broncos?! ???
Denver is looking to upgrade at quarterback and former Vikings VP of player personnel George Paton just took over as GM of the Broncos… pic.twitter.com/cIFv03BSnJ
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) February 18, 2021
Welcome back. We’ve missed you.
Here’s why the Cousins trade chatter is reborn.
Wentz Trade Rekindles Rumors
Kirk Cousins is not universally championed as a good quarterback. To some, his statistics mean nothing. A man’s or woman’s eye test is superior to tangible numerical evidence in such circumstances – or so they say.
Ergo, Wentz was dealt to Indianapolis, triggering the “what if” stratosphere of digital sports media. The speculation goes like this: “If the Eagles can get two picks – maybe even a 1st Rounder – for a wayward Wentz, what can the Vikings get for Cousins?”
That strange logic plops Cousins in a vat of trade rumors. It’s commonplace now. The 32-year-old Cousins owns the sixth-highest passer rating of all-time, but that does not make him a beneficiary of appreciation. In fact, every criticism imaginable about Cousins (there are dozens) is rooted in “yeah but.” He led the NFL in 4th Quarter touchdowns passes (5 TDs) in games with a score margin of three points – not good enough. The narrative switches to “yeah, but what about that one interception he threw seven weeks ago.” To be clear, this a tendency laser-focused on Cousins. Most other established franchise quarterbacks are immune to whataboutism – or encounter it considerably less than Cousins.
The Wentz move makes people dream visions of utopia. Trade Cousins and kickstart Drew Lock’s career is the working theory, evidently.
What about Drew Lock?
Drew Lock performed quite well in 2019. He took over late in the season when the Broncos terminated the Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen experiments. For about a month, Lock was an amicable personality and productive for a rookie.
Then the pandemic season happened. Lock was underwhelming. His “next step” was stymied and a sophomore slump lurked instead. As a result, John Elway and former Vikings executive (now Denver general manager) George Paton must either stick with Lock or try a different signal-caller.
Lock is one month younger than 2020 rookie, Joe Burrow. Does it seem like that? Nope. But it’s true. A reasonable organization will give Lock more time to develop. It is borderline criminal to capitulate hope on a quarterback at age 24 – unless that player is absolutely dreadful. Lock is not.
The Broncos quarterback needs more time to mature and a benefit of the doubt granted to him. That makes a Cousins-for-Lock deal extremely unlikely.
For Denver, Cousins Would be Marvelous
Denver purportedly wanted Cousins during his 2018 free agency. Elway was embroiled in quarterback misery, an agony that began the moment Peyton Manning retired in 2016.
Cousins chose the Vikings. Now – with an ex-Vikings voice in the front office – a Cousins-to-Denver flirtation really gets the juices flowing for fans.
What’s more, Cousins would be a terrific asset to the Broncos. Denver has three sexy wide receivers in Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Jerry Jeudy. Cousins would feast – especially with a decent offensive line headlined by Garrett Bolles. He would instantly add stability to a franchise that has irrefutably lacked quarterback consistency for five full seasons. Like the crow flies, Cousins delivers 4,000+ passing yards and 30+ passing touchdowns per season. Cue Coloradoans salivating.
However, none of this will happen. Minnesota is committed to Cousins. Meanwhile, SKOR North enjoys the process of getting folks on the road to conjecture.