Usually, it’s the San Francisco 49ers.
Any time anything goes haywire at quarterback for the 49ers, some media outlets fantasize about a Kirk Cousins trade westerly — even though the man has a no-trade clause, and the Vikings are firmly committed to the QB1.
Internet Spins “Cousins to Jets” Trade Theories
This time, though, it’s the opposite side of the country after New York Jets quarterback and future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers was lost of the season to a torn Achilles tendon on Monday.
Jets skipper Robert Saleh affirmed Tuesday that his team is completely behind third-year passer Zach Wilson, but many don’t believe it.
Insert Cousins trade theories.
Cousins, who still has a no-trade clause in his contract, hopes to drag his team back on schedule this Thursday night at the Philadelphia Eagles following a 20-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. And if Cousins spends any time on the internet in the next few days, he’ll learn he’s one of the burgeoning trade ideas for the Jets at quarterback.
USA Today’s Nate Davis mentioned Cousins as a Jets trade possibility, mere hours after Rodgers was lost for the season, “Maybe it’s pie in the sky, but let’s lay it out. He’s a free agent in 2024, and the Vikes opted not to extend him before the season. Minnesota is coming off a 2022 division title run — a charmed one with an inordinate amount of close-shave victories — but has purged quite a few veterans in a bid to lay the groundwork for the future.”
Cousins ranked 10th leaguewide in Week 1 per EPA+CPOE despite three turnovers against the Buccaneers.
“And if the Vikings get to mid-October and know they’re not going anywhere and, say, the Jets are scuffling along at 2-4 when their October 22 bye lands? Just saying, Monday was a reminder that the NFL’s ‘scripts’ are wild, and you just can’t discount the possibility almost anything could transpire. (And say what you want about Cousins, but he’s plenty good enough to get a squad with the Jets’ caliber of personnel into the postseason),” Davis added.
Of course, Davis wasn’t alone with Cousins-to-Jets fodder. Social media ran with the theory, as well as Pro Football Network. PFN’s Dallas Robinson also nominated Cousins as a Jets solution, “Here’s another potential option that probably wouldn’t be available until the trade deadline. Kirk Cousins seems unlikely to return to the Minnesota Vikings in 2023, so if Minnesota isn’t contending by late October, they could try to get a draft pick package for Cousins instead of letting him walk as a free agent.”
Robinson appears to have meant 2024 — not 2023 — in the quote above.
“Cousins, who worked with Shanahan in Washington, could instantly pick up Hackett’s offensive scheme and terminology. If Rodgers returns in 2024, the Jets could grab a 2025 compensatory pick when Cousins signs elsewhere. If Rodgers decides to retire, New York could explore an extension with Cousins and keep their contention window open,” Robinson elaborated.
The Vikings asking Cousins to waive his no-trade clause for an experiment with the Jets would involve the purple team mailing it in this season, just a few days after losing a Week 1 matchup — which is, you know, severely unlikely. Minnesota would tab Nick Mullens or Jaren Hall at quarterback and then endorse “tanking,” a practice general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called “unconscionable” about six months ago.
Like nearly every Cousins trade theory, the 35-year-old is unlikely to depart the team via trade, especially in-season, and New York will probably end up rolling with Zach Wilson + an insurance policy involving a quarterback like Nick Foles.
The Jets play at the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
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.