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Connecting the dots on a Kirk Cousins trade to the San Francisco 49ers and a reunion with Kyle Shanahan is one of the easiest scenarios to piece together for those who like to peddle in such speculation this time of year. In fact, rumors have been circulating for some time now. That would assume the Niners were looking for someone to replace Jimmy Garoppolo, of course.
It also assumes that the Minnesota Vikings are interested in moving from Cousins.
The conjecture over this juicy angle took a big boost when it was widely reported that the Niners were one of the teams interested in acquiring Matthew Stafford. There were even reports that the 49ers were close to making a deal. Alas, Stafford is on his way to the Los Angeles Rams now in the first of what could be multiple NFL offseason blockbusters
As Luke Braun brilliantly pointed out on Monday, the Rams essentially had to part ways with a first-round pick to get Stafford and include another first and third round for the Detroit Lions to take Jared Goff and his big contract from theirs. hands. And when you factor in that first-round picks are delayed until 2022 and 2023, on top of the fact that the Rams are expected to be a really good team for the next few years, those firsts are more like the second.
Nonetheless, Stafford trading has helped establish the business value of some very good NFL quarterbacks – but not elite ones. This is the same bucket where reasonable minds can agree to place cousins. Some of his stats indicate he’s been better than just “really good,” but his inability to take a team to the higher ranks suggests that those stats could be misleading to some extent. What? Misleading statistics? Never!
Importantly, the Stafford trade also confirmed the idea that San Francisco is, in fact, in the market for a new quarterback. New reporting and speculation on that front continued this week – once again linking Cousins to the Niners.
An example:
The plot thickens, my friends.
The easy thing for the Vikings to make this offseason, as I have already pointed out, would be to bank on the healthy return of their injured defensive stars, resolve some special teams issues through free agency and add some elements to the project. . Sure, some players could either drop out or restructure for salary cap purposes, but overall, a conservative offseason seems to be the most likely path.
Easy peasy. Back in the playoff hunt.
If the Vikings were to demolish everything and start a rebuild, the clues would already be apparent – starting with a new head coach. Mike Zimmer is still the ship’s captain, and he’s in no mood to rebuild. There is no appetite at the Vikings headquarters for an overhaul, and they are unable to create a sensation in free agency given their salary cap situation. There are those who will try to convince you that the salary cap is a duck, that there is always a workaround. To some extent this may be true. On the flip side, there are a bunch of other teams that don’t need cap gymnastics to throw free agent money this offseason, giving them a decisive advantage over short-run teams. money like the Vikings.
However, a boring and relatively quiet offseason isn’t the only way to go. It’s probably Rick Spielman’s Plan A. But plan B or C could come into play now that a market for cousins has been established.
Let’s not forget that the new general manager of the Denver Broncos is George Paton, who was debauched from the Vikings front office last month. The Broncos have also reportedly been involved in Stafford’s trade openings, so a quarterback upgrade is in sight for them as well. These dots are just as easy to connect as the Cousins-to-the-49ers scenario. Spielman and Paton are pals and could strike a deal at a relatively short time if both sides wanted.
Could a bidding war for Cousins ensue?
It would change everything. Screw the “boring off season” plan. If you’re Spielman and have a team or two looking for a quarterback like Cousins, at least you need to understand whether you’ve even considered moving on from him or not. In either scenario, San Francisco or Denver, Spielman could score draft picks. And we all know how much Rick loves choices. Additionally, the Vikings could break free from the shackles of Cousins’ huge contract, albeit of market value.
It would only be one of the big dominoes, of course. More would be needed if cousins were to be exchanged. Would handsome Jimmy G become the Viking bridge quarterback for a rookie – someone they might be able to flip some newly acquired draft capital to move into the first round and acquire?
Or could the delicious creamy nougat at the center of the Viking offseason turn into a tasty trade bringing Deshaun Watson to Minnesota?
Suffice to say that if Spielman switches from what I perceive to be a Conservative Plan A for the offseason to one in which Cousins is moved, things will be a little less “boring” at Vikings headquarters. Indeed, it would be quite the opposite.
For now, let’s issue a Trade Watch, not a Trade Warning. The terms of a Cousins deal are more favorable than they were just a few weeks ago. To be safe, Vikings fans should make sure that their backrests and trays are in their fully upright position and that their seatbelt is securely made. Things might (keyword: might) take off in a hurry.
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