Purple Rumor Mill: Bijan Robinson’s Request, Mac Jones to Vikings, Drake Maye
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 February 18th edition.
Purple Rumor Mill: Bijan Robinson’s Request, Mac Jones to Vikings, Drake Maye
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 second batch of the week. Yesterday’s can be read here.
Rumor: Bijan Robinson wants Kirk Cousins to join the Atlanta Falcons as QB1.
Bijan Robinson was asked about Kirk Cousins’ next NFL destination this week, and he replied, “He could come to us, but I kind of have a feeling he might stay [in Minnesota].”
Cousins has family ties to Georgia through marriage, the Falcons need a quarterback, and Atlanta’s front office might pay fat stacks of guaranteed cash for a passer as productive as Cousins.
Robinson didn’t get in the weeds or anything close to it about Cousins in Atlanta, but he did offer the backhanded invitation. Too, new Falcons head coach Raheem Morris actually has tangible ties to Cousins. Morris was a defensive backs coach for the Washington Commanders from 2012 to 2014 — also known as Cousins’ first three seasons in the NFL. Morris knows Cousins, and Cousins knows Morris, assuming the two had a standard coach-player relationship in Washington.
If Cousins leaves Minnesota, Atlanta is at the top of most pundits’ lists for Cousins-themed destinations, and the Robinson comment only intensifies the steam.
Rumor: Some think Minnesota trading for Mac Jones is a good idea this offseason.
Jones could be in his final days as a Patriot after a new leadership regime took over in January, while New England holds the third overall pick in April’s draft. According to The 33rd Team, Jones could be dealt to the highest bidder, and the Vikings made the cut as a trade-partner possibility.
The 33rd Team’s Derrik Klassen wrote about the Vikings fit: “The Minnesota Vikings could make some sense. Sitting outside the top 10 for this year’s draft, the Vikings could feel pressured to re-sign Kirk Cousins. Bringing in Jones as a stable backup and potential succession plan makes sense, unexciting as that may be for Vikings fans.”
This is a terrible idea.
Rumor: KFAN’s Paul Allen’s quarterback preference for the Vikings in the draft is Drake Maye.
Paul 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.
The question becomes: are the Vikings willing to trade the ranch for Maye’s services?
If Vikings Trade for a QB, It Will Be 1 of These 6 Men
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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