Kirk Cousins Has Odds to Join Vikings Most Hated Rival
On Monday, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was semi-credibly linked to the Carolina Panthers. The NFC South franchise allegedly “made the call” on Cousins’ price tag for trade.
Such calls and rumors are on the backdrop of an offseason when Minnesota could choose to trade its QB1, a man who inspires controversy because of his contractual earnings. At the end of each season over the past four years, Cousins habitually ranks as the NFL’s 11th-best quarterback or so. The problem? He’s compensated as the eighth-best, so the three-spot variance drives Cousins’ naysayers absolutely insane. Ergo, most of the offseason(s) is spent by fans deliberating the pros and cons of Cousins. It’s exhausting.
The” keep Cousins or trade Cousins” fodder hit a boiling point this year because he’s scheduled to incur a $45 million cap hit against the Vikings books. Cousins played for “cheap” in 2020 with a pandemic-stricken salary cap, reducing Cousins cap hit to $21 million for that season. The piper must be paid in 2022, and Cousins is the piper.
As a result, Vikings fans and NFL pundits spitball where Cousins might be traded. And on Tuesday, a very odd curveball destination hit sportsbooks – the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay awaits a decision on Aaron Rodgers, who might retire or ask for a trade this offseason. The situation hit an apex on Monday night when Rodgers scripted [what sounded like] a retirement post on Instagram. We shall see.
If Rodgers is not the Packers QB1 in 2022, Green Bay will need a quarterback if it is not sold on Jordan Love – a youngster drafted to replace Rodgers in 2020.
Somehow, per Vegas, Cousins is in the mix.
In theory, the Vikings could trade the ex-Commander to the neighbor state, but division rivals rarely swap assets – let alone franchise cornerstone players.
The opposing argument is rooted in “Vegas knowing all.” Usually, oddsmakers know their stuff, so plopping Cousins into Green Bay as a Rodgers successor should hold some weight.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”958488″ player=”26279″ title=”WATCH%204%20takeaways%20from%20Kevin%20OConnells%20introductory%20press%20conference%20with%20Minnesota%20Vikings” duration=”160″ description=”SKIP TO MAIN CONTENTSportsnautSportsnautNFLCFBMLBNBAVIDSNHLNASCARUFCNFL·Published February 17, 20224 takeaways from Kevin O’Connell’s introductory press conference with Minnesota VikingsAndrew Buller-RussAndrew Buller-RussShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on FlipboardShare on RedditShare on News BreakShare via EmailEarlier in the week following the Super Bowl, some Minnesota Vikings fans began to worry about Kevin O’Connell potentially getting cold feet. Especially with the Sean McVay retirement rumors. Fans can rest easy now that O’Connell has officially been announced to the press as the 10th coach in Vikings history.In Thursday’s press conference the new Vikings coach had several interesting tidbits to share, including the likely immediate future of Kirk Cousins‘ status with the organization. Down below we break it all down.” uploaddate=”2022-02-18″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/958422_s_1645214109648.png” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/958422/958422.m3u8″]
All of this is moot if the new Vikings leadership regime is committed to Cousins. Out of the gate, Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sound like two men who want to retain Cousins. The goal would be for O’Connell to “unlock” Cousins with competent pass protection like Sean McVay and O’Connell did for Matthew Stafford in Los Angeles.
But mark this down as a day when a standing Vikings QB1 could realistically find a trade to the Packers. It doesn’t occur often.
Unless your name is Brett Favre – and the roles are reversed, albeit as a free agent.
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).
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