03-14-2018, 12:36 AM
The Vikings could have played it safe at the quarterback position.They could have decided to bring back Case Keenum as their starter, realizing he had reached folk hero status among many by going from career backup to the NFC title game in his first season in Minnesota.
They could have turned to Teddy Bridgewater, who after missing two seasons because of a catastrophic leg injury appeared on the road to recovery and remained a favorite of the coaching staff, players and fans alike.
Coming off a 13-3 season, if Keenum’s play had regressed or if Bridgewater struggled in 2018, general manager Rick Spielman could have shrugged his shoulders and claimed sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t. In either case, Spielman would have signed a quarterback for a very reasonable and safe price.
But the Vikings didn’t go the safe route. In fact, they did just the opposite.
On the same day that Keenum, Bridgewater and 2017 opening-night starter Sam Bradford reportedly agreed to or neared deals with the Broncos, Jets and Cardinals, respectively, the Vikings reportedly swung for the fences by reaching an agreement with Washington free agent Kirk Cousins on a three-year, fully guaranteed $84 million contract.
Is the 29-year-old Cousins worth that type of guaranteed money? That is up for debate. But quarterbacks of Cousins’ quality rarely, if ever, reach the free-agent market and by signing him the Vikings are sending a clear message that they are all in when it comes to winning a Super Bowl next season.
No matter how impressed some might have been by Keenum’s performance in 2017, or how much some hoped that Bridgewater would be able to return from injury and show the form he displayed in getting the Vikings to the playoffs in 2015, the Vikings clearly came to the conclusion that no quarterback on the 2017 roster was going to be able to help them take that next step.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...t-vikings/
They could have turned to Teddy Bridgewater, who after missing two seasons because of a catastrophic leg injury appeared on the road to recovery and remained a favorite of the coaching staff, players and fans alike.
Coming off a 13-3 season, if Keenum’s play had regressed or if Bridgewater struggled in 2018, general manager Rick Spielman could have shrugged his shoulders and claimed sometimes things go your way and sometimes they don’t. In either case, Spielman would have signed a quarterback for a very reasonable and safe price.
But the Vikings didn’t go the safe route. In fact, they did just the opposite.
On the same day that Keenum, Bridgewater and 2017 opening-night starter Sam Bradford reportedly agreed to or neared deals with the Broncos, Jets and Cardinals, respectively, the Vikings reportedly swung for the fences by reaching an agreement with Washington free agent Kirk Cousins on a three-year, fully guaranteed $84 million contract.
Is the 29-year-old Cousins worth that type of guaranteed money? That is up for debate. But quarterbacks of Cousins’ quality rarely, if ever, reach the free-agent market and by signing him the Vikings are sending a clear message that they are all in when it comes to winning a Super Bowl next season.
No matter how impressed some might have been by Keenum’s performance in 2017, or how much some hoped that Bridgewater would be able to return from injury and show the form he displayed in getting the Vikings to the playoffs in 2015, the Vikings clearly came to the conclusion that no quarterback on the 2017 roster was going to be able to help them take that next step.
http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/0...t-vikings/