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The possibility was mentioned last night in an article about the apparent willingness of the 49ers to move from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. The question deserves its own ambiguity.
Will the Vikings trade Kirk Cousins’ quarterback?
Its expansion in 2020 abandoned the trade clause so that the Vikings Cousins could move without his permission. (As a practical matter, however, which NFL team would use for a quarterback who does not want to be there?) His contract pays $ 56 million over the next two years. Most importantly, a whopping $ 20 million base salary in March 2022 is fully guaranteed on March 19th.
On the one hand, the Vikings have a better chance of being relevant in 2021 with Cousins, who has spent three seasons with the team. Unless Minnesota decides to make a play for Deshaun Watson (it probably wouldn’t be a great idea for the Vikings to do a deal with an NFL team in Texas), there’s no clear upgrade that Minnesota has immediately. A Super Bowl candidate would not make it. Most available options would not make the Vikings a playoff candidate, at least not in his first season.
And if the Vikings are not a playoff game in 2021, house cleaning could come.
Of course, if ownership can be sold on the idea that downloading Cousins, saving $ 56 million and taking a step back, will ultimately lead to more steps forward, 2021 could become a year of study. What would be the strategy to take several steps forward?
A locally popular move would be to bring Teddy Bridgewater home from the Panthers to Minnesota. Many fans will welcome the move. These fans will also feel very different if / when the Vikings fall back offensively in 2021.
Before the question becomes relevant, someone will want to trade for Cousins. If the 49ers or anyone else makes a call, the dilemma for the Vikings is investing $ 56 million for another two years at Cousins, or moving on to a vague plan B that could lead to a multi-year Team D in the NFC North.