If Kirk Cousins Trade Talks Heat Up, Don’t Discount AFC West Destination
As the Minnesota Vikings season finishes this weekend, speculation is aplenty on the future of the head coach, general manager, and quarterback. Change will occur – the extent of change is yet to be revealed.
Because the Vikings have reached the playoffs just once with Kirk Cousins at the helm as quarterback, he will inevitably be linked to trade rumors. In fact, those rumors have already started swirling. Sensible landing spots so far include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints.
But don’t forget about the Denver Broncos.
For several reasons, Cousins-to-Denver adds up. Foremost, the Broncos possess the cap space to land a quarterback who throws 30+ touchdowns per season annually, as does Cousins. They’re slated to control $48 million in cap space – before any 2022 moves are even made – which is the ninth-most in the NFL. Cousins will carry a $35 million cap hit into 2022 if traded by Minnesota. Denver can afford it. Write that down.
Then, Denver already rosters a decent defense. Per EPA/Play, through 17 weeks, the Broncos rank 13th leaguewide – and could probably be even better according to depth chart personnel. Habitually, Cousins has shown his team must have an at-least average defense for the franchise to excel. Such is the case for almost all NFL quarterbacks. During the last two seasons in Minnesota, the Vikings defense ranks near the bottom of the league – inexplicable for a Mike Zimmer-led squad. Denver does not have a poor defense. So, that box is checked.
Denver also has a stout pass-protecting offensive line. From Garrett Bolles, Bobby Massie, Dalton Risner, Quinn Meinerz, to Graham Glasgow, the offensive trenches in Colorado do the trick. The Vikings notoriously failed to allot Cousins a decent offensive line via pass protection. It is the largest scourge of the decision by the Vikings to acquire Cousins – they signed a pocket passer while neglecting to keep the man upright. In Denver, Cousins would not be under siege all of the time.
Offensively, the Broncos have roster weapons galore. Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Javonte Williams, Noah Fant, and Tim Patrick are bold playmakers just waiting for a man who tosses 4,000 yards per season like a religion. Cousins does that. He will get them the ball, unlike Teddy Bridgewater or Drew Lock.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”936366″ player=”26279″ title=”5%20Minnesota%20Vikings%20quarterback%20options%20for%202022%20season” duration=”132″ description=”It’s not yet known whether the Vikings will blow things up this coming off-season. In addition to Zimmer, general manager Rick Spielman could very well be on the hot seat. How that plays out will have a huge role in the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback situation. Below, we look at five options for the team.” uploaddate=”2022-01-05″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/936334_s_1641426623588.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/936334/936334.m3u8″]
Who would make the trade happen for Cousins to the Broncos? Two old pals. Rick Spielman, for now, is in charge of the Vikings, and his former lieutenant, Geroge Paton, runs the show in the mountains. The two men could make the deal work, especially if Paton enjoyed Cousins during his Viking days. This might be the most significant tell-tale sign that Cousins could travel to Denver. These connections matter in sports.
Finally, the Broncos are quarterback-starved – absolutely deprived of a productive passer in the last half-decade. Since a Super Bowl win in 2015, the Broncos auditioned a comical slew of signal-callers from Brock Osweiler, Trevor Siemian, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, and more. The blue and orange franchise needs stability at quarterback. Somehow, Denver won a championship with a terrible version of Peyton Manning. While that triumph was magnificent, they’ve attempted to skimp at quarterback ever since, hoping to replicate the defensively-robust 2015 season. Manning stunk that season, and most passers since that Super Bowl run stunk, too. They might now finally realize a good quarterback is a necessity.
Obviously, the Broncos will first kick tires on Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, and Russell Wilson if those superstars are available this winter and spring via trade. If they strike out, though, the Vikings could dangle Cousins for draft picks if the new hypothetical regime wants to end the Cousins era in Minnesota.
And Cousins to Denver really, really checks all the boxes.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
You must be logged in to post a comment.