Vikings Top WR “Loves” His QB
The Minnesota Vikings have not reached the playoffs in Justin Jefferson’s first two seasons – which is odd because the LSU alumnus is setting receiving yard records through his sophomore campaign.
Mike Zimmer’s once-mighty defense fell on its face at the beginning of 2020, bottoming out in 2021 when Minnesota could not prevent teams from scoring at the end of halves. As a result, Zimmer was fired as his fearsome defense wasn’t formidable anymore.
Since the termination, Minnesota veered in a fresh, youthful direction, hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah as general manager and Kevin O’Connell [presumptively] for head coach. The goal is to make the Vikings an offense-first organization, hopefully showcasing a defense better than Zimmer’s from 2020 and 2021.
And because the Vikings haven’t won much in Jefferson’s brief career, folks have tried to massage Kirk Cousins as the villain into the Justin Jefferson movie. When Cousins misses a pass as of late, the narrative suggests Jefferson hates Cousins. It’s really, really weird.
There’s a problem with the Jefferson-can’t-stand-Cousins dialogue, though. Jefferson isn’t buying it. Every step of the way, Jefferson affirms his commitment and friendship with Cousins.
Even this week, on CBS Sports Radio, Jefferson insisted he loves his quarterback. Those are not the verbs and adjectives one uses to describe tension. Jefferson to Zach Gelb this week:
“I love Kirk as a person, I love Kirk as a quarterback. He’s been doing a tremendous job with me, ever since I got into the league. So, I definitely wouldn’t mind him staying. I love Kirk. If the GM & head coach want to go a different route, then that’s on them. At the end of the day, I don’t make the decision. I’m just here to play football and I’m going to give it my all, no matter who the quarterback is. I honestly do think we can win a Super Bowl with him. Kirk is an outstanding quarterback. I feel like Kirk just needs to go out there and have fun with it. Just have that confidence, have that swagger. Trust in his playmakers to get the ball, and do what they have to do. So, I’m happy for this upcoming year.”
– Justin Jefferson
No matter what Jefferson says, Cousins could still be traded this offseason by Adofo-Mensah. The decision is a philosophical and foundational one – can Adofo-Mensah surround Cousins with tools to win? Or – does he cut ties with the expensive passer, pivoting to a rookie-quarterback era?
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”928532″ player=”26279″ title=”4%20ideal%20offseason%20Kirk%20Cousins%20trade%20destinations” duration=”81″ description=”It’s time for the Minnesota Vikings to start making plans for the future, one that includes a 2022 offseason with a Kirk Cousins trade and an organizational reset after another disappointing season.Cousins will enter 2022 in a contract year, a position he and the Vikings are very familiar with. While the 33-year-old quarterback is playing at a high level, it’s evident he and the Vikings aren’t close to competing for the NFC North title or a Super Bowl.With that in mind, we examine the best Kirk Cousins trades that would benefit both the star quarterback and his teams.” uploaddate=”2021-12-22″ thumbnailurl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/snapshot/928494_s_1640136316410.jpg” contentUrl=”https://cdn.brid.tv/live/partners/17660/streaming/928494/928494.m3u8″]
There’s Vikings precedent for this. In 1999, the team traded Brad Johnson to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 1st and 3rd-Round draft pick. Minnesota used the pick to draft Daunte Culpepper, leading to six seasons of profitable quarterback play. Johnson won a Super Bowl with Tampa three years later.
Regardless of Adofo-Mensah’s choice, Cousins won’t be traded because of bad blood with Justin Jefferson. That narrative is false.
Unless you consider Jefferson an unabashed liar.
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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