Vikings threatening fans with a bad time with post-draft plans
The Vikings have no clear contingency plan for the quarterback position after the draft and could be leaving the door slightly ajar for Kirk Cousins.
After the draft, what will the Minnesota Vikings do at the quarterback position? There’s a question people would like to know the answer to.
The Vikings took BYU’s Jaren Hall in the fifth round, but it’s unlikely that the franchise expects him to grow into a starting role in Year 1, if at all. The team still has Kirk Cousins under contract until March of next year, though the two sides notably did not agree to a long-term extension.
Rather, Minnesota merely restructured Cousins’ deal to make it more salary-cap friendly, and Cousins himself doesn’t appear to be in any rush to ink a new contract.
The Vikings could have Hall develop until Cousins for the 2023 season, which would be the most logical thing to do considering the team’s quarterback options.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah spoke briefly on Cousins’ ongoing contract stalemate, and his words may be hard to hear for fans who want to move on from the veteran quarterback.
“When you go into a contract negotiation, you’re trying to come up with solutions together. It’s not just what Kwesi wants or what the Vikings want or what Kirk wants. It’s what we can do together to ultimately put up that Lombardi [Trophy]. Sometimes you come to a place where you decide, ‘Hey, let’s talk later. This is a solution for now.’ That’s all that’s happened.”
Vikings could still extend Kirk Cousins this offseason
Adofo-Mensah also said that Cousins doesn’t need to “prove” anything to the team anymore having racked up four Pro Bowls during his time in the league.
Yet in Cousins’ five years in Minnesota, he’s only led the Vikings to the playoffs twice, and his average quarterback play has drawn criticism in recent seasons as many believe Cousins has hit his ceiling with the franchise.
It’s difficult to imagine the Vikings competing against NFC beasts like the 49ers or Eagles with Cousins under center, and Cousins’ latest mediocre playoff stint has only lit a brighter fire under his haters.
Without a future franchise quarterback , however, the Vikings may lean back on the familiarity that Cousins provides under center, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Minnesota retain Cousins’ services for a few more years.
