Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings were able to pull off their second win of the season Sunday afternoon against the lowly Chicago Bears.
In no way does this mean that the impending free agent is prepared to lead his team into playoff contention moving forward on the season. Minnesota’s two wins have come against teams in that of the Carolina Panthers and Bears who boast a combined 1-11 record. Each win came by one score, too.
The backdrop here includes continual rumors about Cousins potentially being dealt ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline.
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While Couisins has a no-trade clause and is unlikely to waive it, injury issues relating to other quarterbacks and the Vikings’ lack of success have led to rumors popping up in this regard.
Peter King of NBC Sports touched on this on Monday, making it clear that a Cousins trade from the Vikings within the next two weeks is not impossible.
“I think it’s not impossible Kirk Cousins gets traded, but I think it’s unlikely … unless an injury at quarterback forces a playoff-contending coach very familiar with Cousins, who could play to his strengths, to look for a quarterback.”
Report on potential Kirk Cousins trade
Injuries are certainly the X-factor here. On Sunday alone, we saw multiple quarterbacks have to exit games due to injury. That includes Justin Fields (Chicago Bears), Ryan Tannehill (Tennessee Titans), Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars) and Jimmy Garoppolo (Las Vegas Raiders).
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Kirk Cousins unlikely to waive no-trade clause
All of these rumors could mean very little given the full no-trade clause Cousins boasts in his current contract with Minnesota.
For the Pro Bowler, it doesn’t make a ton of sense to join another organization with a different offensive scheme as he prepares to cash in as a free agent next March.
“You know, I am just very focused on the Bears and going 1-0 this week,” Cousins told reporters ahead of Week 6. “And anything else is not worth my time or energy or attention.”
- Kirk Cousins stats (2023): 67% completion, 1,679 yards, 14 TD, 4 INT
Cousins enters Week 7 leading the NFL in touchdown passes with 14. He also ranks No. 1 in the league in completions (158) and pass attempts (235).
All things equal, and contending teams with a need at quarterback would be interested in his services as a rental.
Then again, it’s all about how injuries play out between now and the NFL trade deadline in roughly two weeks.
King specifically mentioned the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers as possibilities should something happen to their starting quarterbacks.