Bleacher Report Reveals Dumb Prediction for Vikings
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings regular season kicks off in 37 days at home versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kevin O’Connell is expected to win eight or nine games in his second season as the Vikings boss, according to sportsbooks.
Bleacher Report Reveals Dumb Prediction for Vikings
And if Bleacher Report is eventually correct, O’Connell might chip away at that win-loss record without QB1 Kirk Cousins. That’s right, BR‘s Brad Gagnon published an opinion piece this week examining “chaotic hypotheticals” that could rock the NFL this season — and Cousins getting traded to the San Francisco 49ers made the list.
Gagnon’s article was similar to a ‘bold prediction,’ where the prognostication isn’t necessarily designed to be correct but to get people thinking outside the box. Trading Cousins now or sometime before the NFL’s trade deadline is certainly outside the box. If the Vikings wanted to trade Cousins anywhere, they would’ve done it back in March.
Still, Gagnon explained the theory he called “The San Francisco 49ers Acquire Kirk Cousins or Ryan Tannehill.”
“Brock Purdy is a sophomore seventh-round pick with just five regular-season starts under his belt and is coming back from a significant shoulder injury. Trey Lance hasn’t been able to stay on the field and has already seemingly taken a back seat to Mr. Irrelevant. And Sam Darnold hasn’t done much of anything in five years to indicate he can become a solid NFL starter,” he explained about the 49ers current QB depth chart.
Any Cousins trade now or before the deadline (October 31st) would leave Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall in the driver’s seat — which would be odd.
Gagnon continued with the theory, “What if the 49ers discover early this season that none of those three have what it takes to get the job done? If they determine they can’t let their season go off the rails because of one position, a deal for a proven veteran with an expiring contract on a potentially non-competitive team might make a lot of sense.”
Kyle Shanahan and the gang likely just need a quarterback to stay healthy for playoff and Super Bowl contendership, so the BR theory hints at the collective failures of Purdy, Lance, and Darnold.
“Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill fit the profile, and either’s presence could certainly put San Francisco over the top with a refreshing feel in a new setting under the brilliant Kyle Shanahan,” Gagnon concluded.
Cousins is slated to become a free agent next March, meaning the 49ers could sign him in seven months without any trade capital involved. Moreover, some Vikings-themed media outlets have dreamt of a Cousins-to-49ers trade for about four years, and it flatly never materializes.
Envisioning Cousins trade scenarios was an exercise for five months ago. The Vikings aren’t going to trade him between now and the start of the regular season or from Week 1 until the trade deadline. It’s not realistic. Cousins becoming a 49er next offseason via free agency is very feasible but not this idea.
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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