Packers Media Spooked by Possible Kirk Cousins Trade
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings are 0-2 and employ a productive quarterback on the final year of his contract. Meanwhile, the New York Jets lost Aaron Rodgers for the season one week ago, and his replacement, Zach Wilson, played miserably in Week 2, tossing 1 touchdown pass to 3 interceptions.
Packers Media Spooked by Possible Kirk Cousins Trade
The Jets feel like they’re a quarterback away from The Promised Land, so naturally, Cousins has been mentioned as a trade candidate to salvage New York’s season — even though Cousins has a no-trade clause in his contract and the Vikings are severely unlikely to give him away during the season.
But if the Cousins-trade theorists were somehow correct about a trade, Green Bay Packers fans and media would not support it. Consider them out on the idea.
Lombardi Ave published a full article Sunday on the topic, warning of the ills the Packers could endure if Cousins was shipped to New York. Chiefly, the grievance is two-fold: A Cousins trade would allow the Vikings to “tank,” while New York would presumably stack wins, lowering the Packers draft pick in Round 2 of next April’s draft.
That’s the working theory, anyway.
The Packers traded Rodgers to the Jets in April, and if the future Hall of Famer played 65% of offensive snaps in 2023, Green Bay would fetch a 2024 1st-Rounder in the deal. Now, however, with Rodgers on the shelf in 2023, he will not play 65% of snaps — he played four snaps in total — and Green Bay is guaranteed to use the Jets 2024 2nd-Rounder next April.
Lombardi Ave‘s Freddie Boston bemoaned the potential Cousins trade, “The more games the Jets lose, the better for the Packers. Cousins would give the Jets a significant upgrade on Zach Wilson. Despite the Vikings’ record, Cousins has made a fast start to the season, throwing for 708 yards, six touchdowns, and one interception. With Cousins, the Jets would win a lot of games.”
Cousins and Packers quarterback Jordan Love lead the NFL in touchdown passes as of September 17th with six apiece.
Moreover, Boston doesn’t want the Vikings to lose too many games — which would likely happen with no Cousins at QB1 — and enter the Caleb Williams Sweepstakes.
“While trading Cousins effectively waves the white flag for the current season, it could pay off huge for Minnesota in the years to come. Without Cousins, the Vikings become a realistic contender for a top-five draft pick. And, who knows, maybe they even end up with the No. 1 overall selection,” Boston warned.
The Vikings are unlikely to fetch Top 3 or Top 5 draft capital for Williams unless Cousins is traded or injured.
Boston added, “Quarterback Caleb Williams is the top prospect in next year’s draft. He has superstar potential in the NFL. In his past 17 games at USC, Williams has thrown for 5,415 yards, 54 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. The thought of Williams throwing to Justin Jefferson is scary.”
Thankfully, Packers fans shouldn’t spend too much time on Cousins-trade anxiety because the Vikings are unlikely to mail it in on the 2023 season. The club has lost 6 fumbles through two games, the most by a team in a season’s first two games in 20 years. If Kevin O’Connell’s team can end the fumble bug, it might become a playoff-contending football team.
And, on the Vikings tanking plans, well, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called the strategy “unconscionable” at the 2023 NFL Combine.
There’s a better chance that Minnesota rectifies its 0-2 start than trading Cousins to New York as a Rodgers replacement.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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