GM and Coach Hired. Next Up — Quarterback
Mitchel Massman
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The Vikings signed Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, and Kevin O’Connell is reported to be their head coach. They will need to make decisions that determine the course of the franchise, including Quarterback Kirk Cousins. The team will have to make some moves before the start of the new league year on March 16th.
The cap situation for the Vikings appears to be a nightmare. Eight players account for more than $146 million of the $208 million salary cap for the 2022 season. While there are accounting tricks the organization can do to lower the cap, there are two names to watch; Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter.
The Vikings brought Kirk Cousins into Minnesota to win playoff games. After four years, the Vikings have made the playoffs one time with one win. Danielle Hunter has missed the majority of the last two seasons to injury. He is a cornerstone piece of the defensive line, but the injuries are concerning.
Danielle Hunter Extension
Other than the quarterback position, the edge rusher is arguably the most important position on the field. This makes Danielle Hunter a point of emphasis this offseason. In 2020, he suffered a neck injury and elected to have it surgically repaired. The surgery was successful, and he returned in a stellar fashion for 2021. He was the team leader in sacks for the first 14 weeks and only played seven games. A torn pectoral abruptly ended his season.
However, Danielle Hunter is one of the best defensive ends in the league when he is on the field. For that reason, extending him, regardless of injuries, to create cap space should be a no-brainer. This extension should provide enough cap space to get the Vikings under the cap.
Kirk Cousins: Extend, Trade, Play out Contract
Kirk Cousins will enter the 2022 season with a $45 million cap hit, an untenable situation. There are three paths forward; extend, trade, or let him play out his last year.
The Wilfs are adamant that the Vikings do not need a full rebuild. They believe they can be competitive in 2022. This likely means that Kirk playing out his contract with a $45 million cap hit is out of the question. There are too many holes to fill on the roster and not enough cap space to make that work. Unless Rob Brzezinski can work magic, it’s difficult to imagine this scenario.
Extending Cousins is arguably a good idea and is likely with O’Connell as the new Head Coach. His production on the field is good enough to win. A two-year extension with a couple of voided years could provide enough cap relief to address other needs. Extending in this manner might give Cousins enough guaranteed money to agree without tying the team to him indefinitely.
The preferred option, in my opinion, would be to trade Cousins. There are several quarterback openings around the league, including Tampa Bay, Denver, and Pittsburgh. All of these teams could be potential trade partners. Cousins’ trade value might be a first and third-round as there is a premium on starting quarterbacks. The Vikings would need to sign a quarterback and consider a veteran like Jameis Winston.
Timing
The official announcement of hiring O’Connell will occur following the Super Bowl. This will leave four weeks before the league year begins on March 16th. Expect the team to work quickly to get under the cap before the start of the league year. The Vikings will likely use accounting tricks to alleviate cap space. Nonetheless, a new contract for Danielle Hunter seems imminent, but Kirk Cousins is open to possibilities.
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