“Voice of the Vikings” Reveals Rookie QB Preference

Dustin Baker   |  

Feb 15, 2024

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The Minnesota Vikings have about 25 days to decide quarterback Kirk Cousins’ future, as the veteran passer is on deck to test open free agency on March 11th.

“Voice of the Vikings” Reveals Rookie QB Preference

Minnesota could prevent that by extending Cousins’ contract, but it is unclear as of February 15th if that’s the plan. More than any time in the last six years, Cousins’ departure feels realistic.

And if the Vikings embark on a brave new world without Cousins, they’ll presumably need a rookie quarterback from the 2024 NFL Draft. Left up to one man, the “Voice of the Vikings,’ KFAN’s Paul Allen, Minnesota should find a way to obtain North Carolina’s Drake Maye.

Allen said on The Life Gorgeous podcast this week when asked by Craig Kilborn about his Vikings rookie quarterback preference from the draft, “Personally, for the way [Kevin] O’Connell runs things here, Drake Maye is my favorite of those, with [Caleb] Williams being out of the equation. And I love [Jayden] Daniels; he’s super athletic, but there is a system that has proven it works, and that’s how things go here.”

Pull up any amount of Maye tape from North Carolina, and one will understand Allen’s endorsement. Next to Caleb Williams, who the Chicago Bears will likely draft in 10 weeks, Maye’s skillset translates to the NFL most adeptly. The man can make all the throws, has the prototypical NFL quarterback frame, and features a bit of mobility.

Of course, the Vikings will likely have to trade up the board to capture Maye on draft night. In theory, his draft stock could fall, but that’s improbable as of mid-February. However, bartering with a team like the Washington Commanders at No. 2 or the New England Patriots at No.3 would put the Vikings in prime territory to select Maye. The pick would mark the first time in history that the Vikings used Top 10 draft capital to choose a quarterback, if that can be believed.

In January, Pro Football Networks Joe Broback published a mock draft, one of the splashiest for the Vikings to date, with Minnesota drafting Maye after a seismic trade with rival Chicago Bears. Broback envisioned this Vikings trade with the Bears:

That or something similar is probably what it would take to make Allen’s draft preference come true.

Also last month, Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling joined Paul Allen’s show on KFAN and explained Minnesota’s draft mindset regarding quarterback, “If they’re going to take one, it’s going to be someone we love, or we’re not doing it. If you have to give up a couple first-round picks for future years, I don’t think they’d bat an eye at that.”

VikingsTerritory‘s proposed offseason endorsement for the purple team echoed a similar strategy to Allen’s. That can be read here.

Minnesota hasn’t drafted a quarterback [at all] in Round 1 since 2014.

Also Read:
Dark Horse Team Could Land Kirk Cousins in Free Agency

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.