Andrew Buller-Russ
Will the Minnesota Vikings trade Kirk Cousins? It’s become the most popular question in the Land of 10,000 Lakes thanks to a 1-4 start. Making matters more interesting is the fact that Cousins, 35, is in the final year of his contract, leaving the Vikings’ future at QB in question.
Seemingly every year we hear about the Vikings being linked to various QB prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft, and they’ve selected a signal-caller in three of the past four seasons. Nate Stanley and Kellen Mond didn’t work out, and betting on rookie fifth-round selection Jaren Hall to develop into a franchise solution would be making a big gamble.
With the Vikings currently projected to have the fourth pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, in a class that features several potential first-round prospects from Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Shedeur Sanders, Michael Penix, and more, the speculation about Cousins being shipped out of town has only increased.
Yet, the four-time Pro Bowl QB holds all the cards, thanks to having a full no-trade clause, giving him final say over whether or where he’s traded. That’s if he’s even interested in a trade at all after spending the past six seasons living and raising his family in Minnesota.
According to the latest report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins is expected to stay with the Vikings this season and will not consider waiving his no-trade clause in pursuit of a better chance to compete.
Cousins has been speculated to the New York Jets ever since Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles four snaps into the season. But none of those reports have been substantial.
If not the Jets, perhaps it would be another team who felt they were an above-average QB away from Super Bowl contention, but Schefter’s report provides several reminders of why an in-season Cousins trade makes little sense.
The ESPN report indicates coach Kevin O’Connell is not ready to part with his starting QB, but that’s not all. Cousins has also grown partial to Minnesota since signing the fully guaranteed $84 million contract in 2018. Not to mention, the idea of uprooting his family only to try and get on the same page with a new cast of weapons while mastering another offense in a matter of weeks sounds like a big risk for an athlete who’s set for free agency in just a few months anyway.
Staying in Minnesota, with a deep cast of talent, even without Justin Jefferson, who’s expected to miss four-to-six weeks, gives him his best chance to cash in again, even if that means going another year without any postseason success.
Barring an extension after the season is through, Cousins will be a free agent in March, and the unique way his contract is structured prevents the Vikings from placing a franchise tag on him. Whether he returns to Minnesota for a seventh season or finds greener pastures remains to be seen, but he’ll likely have a few options available with teams always seeking competent QB play, even from an aging athlete without mobility.
Related: See where Kirk Cousins lands in Sportsnaut’s NFL QB rankings
