Kirk Cousins Responds to Trade Rumors
The Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Tennessee Titans — those are the destinations churned out by the NFL’s trade rumor mill for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins as of October 11th.
Kirk Cousins Responds to Trade Rumors
And Cousins isn’t interested in any of them.
The 35-year-old was asked Wednesday if he’d waive his no-trade clause for any team, with the league’s deadline for such transactions 20 days away. He replied, “You know I am just very focused on the Bears and going 1-0 this week, and anything else is not worth my time or energy or attention.”
It is unclear if the Vikings, as an organization, are even remotely interested in moving Cousins before the Halloween deadline, but if they are, it sounds like Cousins will need convincing.
Two weeks ago, on The Up & Adams Show, future Hall of Fame TE Rob Gronkowski advocated for a Cousins trade, “If, for some reason, the Vikings lose, Kirk Cousins should be shipped out 100%. He should be shipped out to the New York Jets.”
The Vikings beat the Carolina Panthers soon after.
“They need to fix that quarterback position this year if they want to win some games,” the former Patriot and Buccaneers added about the Jets quarterback malady.
On September 19th, former Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph explained on Fox Sports Radio, “The Vikings have a really good shot at getting back to 2-2. So I don’t think the Vikings can look at this season and say, ‘Oh, it’s over, let’s give up, we’ll trade our quarterback.’ But it’s where are you going? What are you doing? What’s the plan? Kirk Cousins is a quarterback, where he’s in the last year of his contract. The Vikings haven’t extended him.”
“So, why haven’t you extended him? Does he want more money, or do you not want to keep him? So, to me, I just think there’s a lot to uncover here, and if I’m the Jets, it’s a phone call that you have to make, to at least find out. And if you’re the Vikings, I think it’s a phone call that you have to take,” Rudolph added.
ESPN, too, entered the Cousins trade forum Monday, immediately after the club lost to the Chiefs, claiming a Cousins swap to a new team would not be an overreaction by trade theorists or the Vikings front office.
“He could help someone, and the sooner he gets to the Jets or Falcons or whoever needs a real quarterback to maximize an otherwise strong roster, the better. He’d likely have to learn a new offense on the fly. Now, Cousins has a no-trade clause, and he and his family like it in Minnesota. This is an obstacle, and possibly one that couldn’t be overcome. But if Cousins is not in the Vikings’ 2024 plans, and they went to him and told him that and asked if he wanted them to deal him to a contender, you’d think he’d at least have to consider it,” ESPN’s Kevin Seifert wrote about Cousins’ potential to boost a playoff-contending team.
The problem with all these theories — a significant deal-breaking factor — is that Cousins doesn’t sound too enthused about going anywhere.
The Vikings are currently 2.5-points favorites to beat the Bears this Sunday, the only item of business Cousins cares about this week.
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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