Purple Rumor Mill: Kirk in 2024, Ex-Vikings Coach with Deion, Dalvin + MIA
VikingsTerritory’s Purple Rumor Mill is a two-day chronicle each week. All the week’s rumors are lassoed and plopped in two spots — articles on Saturday and Sunday — for review. Today is the July 9th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Kirk in 2024, Ex-Vikings Coach with Deion, Dalvin + MIA
Remember — rumors are rumors. What you read on weekends in these pieces is what the world is talking about pertaining to the Vikings, not necessarily items that will come to fruition.
Here’s the first batch of the week.
Rumor: Kirk Cousins is unlikely to sign with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent next March.
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has longstanding ties to Kirk Cousins from both men’s stints with the Washington Commanders. And Cousins is scheduled to become a free agent next March. San Francisco will probably do the diligence on Cousins’ free agency, right?
One 49ers pundit disagrees.
The Athletic’s Matt Barrows dumped cold water on the Cousins-to-49ers last week. “[The 49ers] probably have to rethink the way they’ve organized their salary cap. The other reason this seems unlikely — at least, for now — is Brock Purdy. Yes, Shanahan loves Cousins. He has championed Cousins, now 34, since he was Washington’s offensive coordinator in 2012, the year Washington chose the quarterback in the fourth round. But he suspects he now has a younger, cheaper and more mobile version of Cousins in Purdy, who is 11 years younger,” Barrow explained.
The Vikings could also extend Cousins in February or March.
Barrows continued, “Purdy, of course, is largely unproven. And he has suffered big injuries (oblique/elbow) in two of his eight career starts. Cousins, on the other hand, has been remarkably healthy in starting either all or all but one game in each of the last eight seasons.”
The theory, in a nutshell, is the 49ers will just keep and develop Purdy rather than explore Cousins’ free agency.
Rumor: Former Vikings OC Pat Shurmur is lending Deion Sanders a hand in Colorado.
According to 24/7 Sports and Carl Reed Jr., Shurmur will join the Colorado Buffaloes staff as an offensive analyst for the 2023 season.
Shurmur was the Vikings offensive coordinator for some of 2016 and all of 2017 — the latter part in the Vikings almost-storybook season that culminated in an NFC Championship appearance. He then took over as the New York Giants head coach in 2018, an experiment that didn’t last long.
Now, Shurmur will evidently try on the NCAA for size, his first college stint in 25 years.
Rumor: Dalvin Cook is unimpressed with the Miami Dolphins latest offer.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington said on ESPN’s show NFL Live this week, “We have nothing urgent right now in terms of Cook’s decision because ultimately he still wants to get a little bit closer to training camp to really nail this down. One thing I would point out is that the Miami Dolphins remain interested. They still have an offer on the table, one that Cook is not willing to accept. I could see him certainly trying to drum up other leverage. He is still interested in joining the Dolphins but, at this point, again, not willing to commit to the deal that they have on the table.”
Cook still believes he can fetch near $10 million on the open market. For now, that strategy isn’t working. He’ll hang on through training camp(s) to figure out if that’s doable.
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 Viking obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment.