The Minnesota Vikings were dealt a major blow on Sunday when star quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles during their win over the Green Bay Packers.
For Minnesota, this represented the team’s fourth win in five games after starting the season 0-3. The good feelings that came with that win were quickly washed away with confirmation that Cousins would miss the remainder of the season.
The question is now obvious. Has the Pro Bowler played his final game in a Vikings uniform? Cousins was the subject of rumors leading up to the Halloween NFL trade deadline and is set to hit free agency this coming March.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed Cousins’ future in talking with reporters ahead of their Week 9 outing against the Atlanta Falcons. In what can’t be considered a surprise, O’Connell made it clear that Minnesota would like to re-sign Cousins in NFL free agency.
“Kirk Cousins is going to be healthy again. I know he’s going to be a free agent after this season, but Kirk knows how I feel about him and that will be something, you know, that hopefully will work itself out. You guys know how I feel about Kirk,” O’Connell told reporters. “Kirk knows how I feel about Kirk. I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League.”
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What does Minnesota Vikings trade deadline tell us about Kirk Cousins?
Minnesota did not simply quit on the remainder of the season following the Cousins’ injury news. In fact, the team went out there and acquired fellow quarterback Joshua Dobbs in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals.
Dobbs had started all eight games for Arizona this season before Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon announced on Monday that he has been benched. He could very well come in and act as a stopgap starter over rookie mid-round pick Jaren Hall.
This is the clearest indication yet that the Vikings are not going into rebuild mode. After all, they were seen as potential sellers earlier in the seasons with the likes of Cousins and star edge rusher Danielle Hunter being potential trade bait.
Minnesota would actually be in the playoffs if the season ended today. It made no sense to sell off big-time assets with an opportunity to play postseason football still alive.
As for Cousins, it’s going to be all about the market dynamics. Minnesota does not have the ability to place the franchise tag on the start quarterback. Given his performance prior to Sunday’s injury (2,331 yards, 18 TD, 5 INT), there is going to be a huge market for the four-time Pro Bowler in free agency.