Kirk Cousins Linked to AFC Team as ‘Bold Prediction’
VikingsTerritory opined a couple of times since the 2021 regular season ended on the possibility of Kirk Cousins joining the Denver Broncos – if he’s traded at all.
Now, The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia labels Cousins-to-Denver as one of his bold offseason predictions.
The trade talk on Cousins tapered a bit since the hire of Kevin O’Connell, a Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator from the Los Angeles Rams. While Cousins could still theoretically be traded this offseason – mainly if he doesn’t rework his current contract – it is a longshot right now for the transaction to occur.
Why? Well, Minnesota hired a head coach who has experience with Cousins. O’Connell and Cousins collaborated in Washington in 2017, with O’Connell as the quarterbacks coach and Cousins as QB1. That is not a rubberstamp for the future, but the topic of “Will you utilize Kirk Cousins?” undoubtedly arose during O’Connell’s interview. If it turns out Cousins is the QB1 in September, retaining the 33-year-old will appear salvific in retrospect on behalf of Vikings ownership.
But if Cousins does not wheel-and-deal off his naughty $45 million cap hit scheduled for 2022, Kapadia predicts Denver as Cousins’ next home. And, that indeed checks out.
Kapadia wisely pointed out, “The Broncos — for better or worse — have more intel on Cousins than pretty much any team in the NFL.”
Denver’s general manager is George Paton, who spent 2018, 2019, and 2020 with Cousins, albeit in an executive capacity. Paton should know – verifiably – if Cousins will work with his vision in Denver. If the answer is yes, the Broncos have delicious draft capital with the ninth overall pick, plus extra deal sweeteners from the Von Miller trade a few months ago. The Broncos can afford Cousins and have been deprived of productive quarterback play since the 2014 season.
Then, the new quarterbacks coach for the Broncos is – you guessed it – Klint Kubiak. Denver loves Kubiaks. And Cousins has played alongside Kubiak for a few seasons. These relationships matter in sports, so the Kubiak and Paton links should be considered pathways for Cousins to Denver – if Minnesota indeed shops Cousins.
O’Connell was introduced by the Vikings to the public on Thursday, and it did not sound like the new regime has plans of trading Cousins. In fact, unless everyone is lying, O’Connell and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah want to build an offense around Cousins. That is why Cousins staying put is likely.
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Conversely, though, Vikings fans were notoriously informed in the past that men like Percy Harvin and Stefon Diggs “weren’t going anywhere.” Weeks later, their phones buzzed with details of trades to Seattle and Buffalo. Sports can change in a heartbeat.
Should the Vikings actually trade Cousins, just like Kapadia prognosticates via bold prediction, it could reasonably be to the Broncos.
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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