Why Russell Wilson Doesn’t Make Sense for Vikings
Dustin Baker
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Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson will likely be released in the next couple of months. His ending appears to have been scripted by Broncos brass after two years of an unsuccessful relationship.
Why Russell Wilson Doesn’t Make Sense for Vikings
And according to BetOnline.ag, the Vikings are the odds-on favorite to land Wilson when the time comes, likely in two to three months. These are the living betting odds for Wilson’s services:
- Minnesota Vikings: 5/1
- New England Patriots: 6/1
- Washington Commanders: 7/1
- Las Vegas Raiders: 7/1
- Chicago Bears: 8/1
- Atlanta Falcons: 8/1
- New York Giants: 8/1
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 8/1
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 10/1
- Arizona Cardinals: 10/1
- New Orleans Saints: 11/1
- Seattle Seahawks: 33/1
While Vegas might believe Wilson is likely to embark north for a Vikings union, it doesn’t quite make sense. Here’s why.
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
The Vikings have Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall under contract next year — with the firm expectation that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will use high-round draft capital on a quarterback of the future.
So, that’s three quarterbacks before even entertaining a Kirk Cousins extension.
Why on earth would the Vikings need four or five quarterback options? In theory, they could release Hall and Mullens to make way for Wilson, but would anybody really be excited about that? Minnesota has QB options and must eventually select a rookie to develop. Wilson doesn’t fit with that strategy.
Kirk Cousins, a Draft Pick — or Both — Instead
There’s a small chance that Kirk Cousins actually accepts a team-friendly deal this go-round. He’ll be fresh off a torn Achilles and entering his age-36 season. By team-friendly deal, it could be like $30-$38 million. Of course, those are megabucks, but when a player like Dak Prescott is expected to ask for an extension fetching $60 million, $35 million seems juvenile.
Meanwhile, it’s time for the Vikings to draft a rookie quarterback; the upcoming class is deep-deep for the assignment. Minnesota could do both, extend Cousins and draft the next guy. It could say goodbye to Cousins and begin the QB-on-a-rookie-deal era. Or the purple team could just extend Cousins and hold off on the rookie signal-caller.
None of that requires anything named Russell Wilson.
Wilson Just Isn’t Very Good Anymore
If this chatter were occurring in 2018 or 2019 — great. Wilson was a borderline MVP candidate back then, but since his trip to Denver, his skillset has clearly diminished.
Wilson isn’t awful; he’s just not as prolific anymore. He appears to have hit the beginning of an age-related decline. Or — Pete Carroll had the special sauce for all those years.
This season, Wilson ranks 21st per quarterback DVOA. He ranked 34th of 39 qualifying quarterbacks in 2022. Why would the Vikings willingly sign up for such mediocrity? It doesn’t add up. If Kirk Cousins didn’t exist, and Minnesota needed a patchover quarterback, Wilson could check some boxes. But neither scenario applicable to Wilson seems wise.
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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