Sep 26, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) scrambles against the Minnesota Vikings defensive end Dalvin Tomlinson (94) in the second quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports.
When the Minnesota Vikings turn the page towards their 2024 season, they’ll need to figure out what they will do at the quarterback position. While they could immediately pay Kirk Cousins, they could also opt to go elsewhere for an established starter. Are they really going to look at Russell Wilson?
When Kirk Cousins went down against the Green Bay Packers and suffered an Achilles injury, his season ended, but his future was also immediately put in jeopardy. He’s not exactly young anymore and no longer under contract. The Vikings could bring him back for a year or two, but it will come with a relatively steep price tag.
Rather than looking for a lesser bridge quarterback, Minnesota may opt to see what they can extract from former Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham to finish the season, Wilson drew the short straw from head coach Sean Payton, and he will ultimately be looking for his next employer this offseason.
Despite giving up a boatload to bring him in and handing him a substantial payday, the Broncos found very little in terms of production from Wilson. In 30 games, he went just 11-19 as the starter and threw for just 42 touchdowns with 19 interceptions. His 63.3% completion rate was near the low end of his yearly totals, and the Broncos’ offense looked inept on a weekly basis.
The argument for bringing in the former Wisconsin Badgers quarterback is that plenty of the onus could be put on Denver as an organization. Things definitely didn’t go well under Nathaniel Hackett in 2022, and Payton didn’t exactly set the world on fire this season, either. The Broncos were routinely lacking in the pass catchers department, and their running game didn’t provide much balance for the offense.
The flip side is that there is a very real possibility Wilson is simply cooked. He will enter his 13th year in the NFL in 2024, and he hasn’t led a team to a winning record since 2020. The Seattle Seahawks were built differently in their heyday, and The Legion of Boom substantially benefited the offense as a whole. Having to do the heavy lifting at this stage may task the abilities of an aging quarterback, and the Vikings certainly don’t need to be caught holding the bag.
Ultimately, it stands to reason that the commodity they know would be the best option for Minnesota. Cousins is established within the organization and has repeatedly stated that he wants to return. The dollars still have to come together, and he can’t get crazy with his ask, but that should be the most straightforward path. If Wilson is going to be considered at all, there should be quite a difference in the salary, and only then would it cause reason for pause.
Bringing Wilson to Minnesota would be a very interesting path forward, but it wouldn’t stop the organization from still adding a rookie for the future. Plenty of teams have quarterback uncertainty every year, but the Vikings being involved this time makes the storylines much more compelling.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.