The Kirk Cousins drama with his Minnesota Vikings could now include a potential trade to the Carolina Panthers.
Let us explain.
It was noted recently that Cousins, 33, has no desire to take a pay cut now that there’s new management in charge in Minnesota.
The idea for new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah would be to help lower Cousins’ cap number of $45 million for the 2022 season via a contract extension. Apparently, Cousins has no interest in that and believes he can receive $40 million annually on a new contract following next season.
Enter into the equation a Panthers squad that finds itself in desperation mode at the quarterback position following the failed Sam Darnold experiment.
According to Judd Zulgad of SKOR North (h/t Yahoo! Sports), the Carolina Panthers recently put in a call to Minnesota’s new brass inquiring about Kirk Cousins’ availability.
“They have gotten a call. Now, from what I’ve heard, it went nowhere so far,” Zulgad said. “But it’s interesting that the phone did ring at TCO [Stadium] in Eagan and on the other end of the line . . . the Carolina Panthers.”
Related: Updated NFL trade rumors
Is it even possible for the Minnesota Vikings to trade Kirk Cousins?
We’re pretty sure Adofo-Mensah and new Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell have discussed Cousins’ future in Minnesota. Given that neither of them have a built-in relationship with the quarterback, it stands to reason that they’d look at alternatives.
At issue here is the contract Cousins signed under the previous regime, headed by former general manager Rick Spielman. In particular, the structure of the two-year, $66 million extension.
Said contract calls for a $45 million cap hit this coming season. If Minnesota were to move off Cousins in a trade, the team would eat all but $10 million of that. With the Vikings a projected $14.73 million over the 2022 NFL salary cap, that seems to be an unlikely scenario.
There’s also a pretty big backdrop here in that of the quarterback market, both on the trade front and in free agency. Can Minnesota find an upgrade over Cousins while remaining financially solvent?
- Kirk Cousins stats (2021): 66% completion, 4,221 yards, 33 TD, 7 INT
Despite his numerous shortcomings, Cousins is still one of the top-15 quarterbacks in the NFL. Short of Minnesota being able to land Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson in a blockbuster trade, finding an upgrade over Cousins might not be possible. Of course, that depends on the team’s opinion of San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
How would Kirk Cousins trade to the Carolina Panthers look?
After picking up Darnold’s $18.86 million option for the 2022 season, Carolina is just north of $17 million under the cap. Taking on $35 million of Cousins’ cap hit would be hard from a financial perspective.
It also seems highly unrealistic that Minnesota would take on Darnold’s contract and somehow view him as a starter-caliber quarterback. Of the $18.86 million he’s owed next season, an acquiring team would take on 100% of that cap hit.
From a Vikings perspective, that would create a $53.86 million cap hole by making this trade. Again, it seems highly unlikely.
However, there is a scenario in play that suggests Minnesota will simply punt on the 2022 season under its new brass. That includes moving off multiple high-priced veterans.
If so, forcing Carolina to pay a premium to unload Darnold while acquiring Kirk Cousins could make sense. In this scenario, the Vikings would likely be looking at multiple draft picks in the trade.
Either way, this is something to keep an eye on as the NFL quarterback situation continues to evolve.