There’s a Team Kirk Cousins Should Avoid
Kirk Cousins should not return to his roots — that’s the word from Bleacher Report, anyway.
There’s a Team Kirk Cousins Should Avoid
Sometime in the next 6.5 weeks, the Minnesota Vikings will decide Cousins’ future. He’ll either be back on a short-term deal or set sail on free agency for the first time in six years. Cousins could command between $40-$50 million on the open market, a price that may be too steep for the Vikings, a franchise nearing the subsequent phases in its “competitive rebuild.”
And per BR’s Alex Ballentine, Cousins should stay put with the Vikings and avoid the Washington Commanders, the team that drafted him, at all costs. Ballentine said about Cousins’ possible return to Minnesota for a seventh season, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it […] Cousins was among the top quarterbacks statistically when he went down with the injury. Assuming his recovery goes well, it would make sense for him to want to keep things rolling with Kevin O’Connell and Co.”
The Vikings owned a 4-4 record in 2023 with Cousins before he tore his Achilles in Week 8 at Lambeau Field. The 35-year-old was on pace for 5,000 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Minnesota finished 3-6 without Cousins in the lineup.
Ballentine analyzed the entire upcoming quarterback market, labeling one team for each man to avoid. For Cousins, that was the Commanders. “The Commanders have the opportunity to draft a franchise-altering quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick. It’s a great chance at a clean slate for an organization that is looking to put the days of Dan Snyder behind them and forge ahead under Josh Harris’ ownership,” he wrote.
Washington will showcase brand new leadership head to toe, with a fresh general manager and head coach in 2024. Returning to Cousins, in that vein, might be a little odd.
Ballentine continued about Cousins steering clear of his old stomping grounds, “So while it could be tempting to use their league-leading $84.3 million in cap space to sign Cousins and have an elite mentor for their new rookie signal-caller, it would be bad for all parties involved. First, it would be a clear downgrade in terms of weapons. All due respect to Terry McLaurin, but he isn’t Justin Jefferson, and Jahan Dotson isn’t Jordan Addison.”
The Commanders are expected to select Drake Maye (North Carolina) or Jayden Daniels (LSU) if they don’t trade down for extra draft assets. Interestingly, if Washington were in the mood to trade out of the No. 2 pick, the Vikings might come knocking.
“Beyond that, it would just set up an awkward situation. The biggest upside to both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye is that either is a Day 1 starter. They both have incredibly high ceilings, but neither will need the ramp-up time to become a starter,” Ballentine concluded.
Other potential landing spots for Cousins if he doesn’t re-up with the Vikings or abides by the BR advice about the Commanders? The Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, or New England Patriots.
Cousins will turn 36 in August and has recently stated that he hopes to be healed and ready for spring by OTAs — with some team.
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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