The Potential Hire of Catherine Raiche Could Make a Kirk Cousins Trade to PHI Feasible
Dustin Baker
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If you haven’t heard (highly unlikely), the topic of potentially trading Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will be discussed ad nauseam from now until March or the day he’s actually jettisoned.
Cousins is slated to carry a $45 million cap hit in 2022, a number of comeuppance on the Vikings books as his cap hit in 2020 was $21 million – less money than Jacoby Brissett and Alex Smith earned that season. And, to be sure, Cousins is not worth $45 million in cap hit anything. Per the metrics, he’s around the ninth-best quarterback in football, which plops his salary around $32 or $33 million annually (ironically, that is his average annual salary).
But for the new general manager – he or she could be hired this week – the $45 million is a vicious number to swallow. Ergo, the new set of eyes could explore trading Cousins, setting him free to compete with a team showcasing a competent offensive line like the Denver Broncos or Cleveland Browns.
Because the Vikings are interviewing Catherine Raiche on Monday for the open general manager position – the first woman in NFL history to interview for such a job – her ties to the Philadelphia Eagles could be a backchannel for a Cousins trade easterly.
Jalen Hurts is in charge of the Eagles at quarterback, but it is unclear if the front office is mesmerized with his youthful skillset. Philadelphia has been linked to Deshaun Watson trade chatter amid the last year, leaving Hurts out in the cold a bit for future plans. In fairness to Hurts, his progression as an NFL passer is coming along – he just isn’t as electric as Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, or Josh Allen. And when a quarterback doesn’t instantly emulate those men’s success, some brains are of the mindset “keep drafting or trading until we do get the next big thing.”
In the event the Eagles brass isn’t entirely sold on Hurts, some media outfits, like The Big Lead, add Cousins to a shortlist of 2022 quarterbacks for Philadelphia. Plus, the feasibility of trading Cousins to the Eagles would be heightened by Raiche, if she is the selection by Mark and Zygi Wilf to run the purple enterprise.
Along with Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and Jimmy Garoppolo, Ryan Phillips from The Big Lead theorized a Cousins trade back to the NFC East with this rationale:
“Cousins put up solid numbers this year but had an uneven season. Some new scenery could make things better for him. He completed 66.3 percent of his passes in 2021 for 4,221 yards, with 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His passer rating of 103.1 was excellent, but his QBR of 52.0 ranked 15th in the league. Cousins would be an upgrade over Hurts and likely wouldn’t cost the kind of draft capital Wilson or Watson would, but is equally as expensive cap-wise.”
If Cousins is dealt elsewhere, the Vikings will mandate a 1st Round draft choice as compensation. Or if no team ponies up that sum, Minnesota should reasonably expect a 2nd and 3rd-Rounder. The Matthew Stafford trade to Los Angeles one year ago really level-set the market for quarterback trades. If Stafford can draw a king’s ransom, Cousins can generate a duke’s ransom.
Cousins is already linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns, and New Orleans Saints via trade rumor. Philadelphia should be considered the longshot in the theoretical Cousins Sweepstakes, mainly because the organization probably isn’t ready to surrender on Jalen Hurts.
Should the Eagles be out on Hurts, though, possibly employing Raiche would be the pipeline needed for Cousins to Philadelphia.
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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