Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ TBro said:
Here is the other thing to consider. I like what Kwesi is doing by letting this season play out with Cousins. He's gambling, and almost daring Cousins to repeat the year he just had and let this season reset his market value. If Kwesi was trading Options, he would be Selling a Put on Cousins value to fall well below his current salary. The problem with that strategy is that if we decide to walk away from Cousins next year and let him become a free agent, it comes with a $28.5 Million Dead Cap Hit. I just don't see an easy way to Divorce ourselves from Cousins unless a trade could be worked out with another team. Otherwise, they will need to figure out another extension for next year and beyond.
I think we currently have $97M in cap space for '24 and that includes eating Cousins' dead money. Now, it doesn't include a full roster of players, but still, keep in mind that Cousins is completely off the books in '25 so that opens a huge amount of flexibility in '24. For example, you could sign a top free agent in '24 and put his cap acceleration in '25. Dead cap hits are just part of the game. The Eagles, for example, are eating $46M in dead cap this year.
If Cousins blows up in year two in the offense, he'll get an extension and we don't have to worry about the cap hit or the dead money. If he doesn't, 2023 will be his last season in purple and we'll eat his dead money with a ton more flexibility.
The only problem? Finding his replacement.
Kirk Cousins Contract Breakdowns, Salary Cap Figures, Salaries, Bonuses | Spotrac
Unless I'm reading this wrong, Cousins salary will count as a cap hit for us through the 2027 season as we've elected to "kick the can down the road" on void years to make his salary more palatable to absorb in the here and now.
Regardless on if he is the league MVP next season, I just don't see Kwesi doing a long term guaranteed contract with him as a 36 year old player and that being the direction they want to go in. So again it all boils down to how competitive do you think this team will be in 2023 and are we a legitimate Super Bowl contender? If you look through a realistic lens and decide we are not, then what sense does it make to hold on to Kirk Cousins for one more season regardless of who may or may not be in the pipeline? Like I said, I'd rather go 6-11 with Trey Lance starting in a learning/building year, then go 9-8 with Kirk Cousins in a "fight for the playoffs" type year and he walks out the door as a free agent for a mid round comp pick. I really hope this situation is being looked at realistically with a long-term vision and not a Wilf fanboy "let's be competitive" vision. The Wilf's need to stay the fuck out of things and let this new front office do what they think is the right thing moving forward. I don't think that is happening currently.
The void years accelerate if he doesn't get re-signed.
“The Vikings aren’t confident Cousins is capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.”
Then the coaches are incompetent and should be fired immediately. If you can’t take a guy with Cousins skill set and build a championship team, go away. Seriously. We went 13-4 last year and it was Cousins taking over many of those end of the games and getting us a win.
If the Vikings had a middle of the road defense last year, there’s a fair chance they have the Lombardi in their trophy case.
If the Vikings are trading for anything right now, it had better be a defender.
Consider drafting a QB if you get a shot at a potential franchise guy, otherwise fix the reason you can’t go anywhere in the playoffs - a bottom feeder defense.
Trading the most durable QB in the NFL for a young guy who’s done nothing but be injured, is the epitome of stupidity.
Quote: @Havoc1649 said:
“The Vikings aren’t confident Cousins is capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.”
This line comes from a clickbait rumor site and has zero credibility. Don't think this came from the Vikings front office, because they would obviously never say that. Or even think it.
Should the Viking prepare for a post-Cousins world? Yes. Should the Vikings look at QBs in this draft or next? Yes. But what's more likely to result in a Lombardi in the next few years? A roll of the dice youngster at QB and some cap space? Or Kirk Cousins? I think it's pretty obvious.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ Havoc1649 said:
“The Vikings aren’t confident Cousins is capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.”
This line comes from a clickbait rumor site and has zero credibility. Don't think this came from the Vikings front office, because they would obviously never say that. Or even think it.
Should the Viking prepare for a post-Cousins world? Yes. Should the Vikings look at QBs in this draft or next? Yes. But what's more likely to result in a Lombardi in the next few years? A roll of the dice youngster at QB and some cap space? Or Kirk Cousins? I think it's pretty obvious.
I agree, but at the same time if the Vikings hit on a QB they like in this Draft....somehow, some way.....it could potentially be the last year of Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. A NFL team needs to utilize that rookie contract window for a QB to their benefit. The rookie would sit one year and potentially start next season, warts and all.
Quote: @StickyBun said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ Havoc1649 said:
“The Vikings aren’t confident Cousins is capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.”
This line comes from a clickbait rumor site and has zero credibility. Don't think this came from the Vikings front office, because they would obviously never say that. Or even think it.
Should the Viking prepare for a post-Cousins world? Yes. Should the Vikings look at QBs in this draft or next? Yes. But what's more likely to result in a Lombardi in the next few years? A roll of the dice youngster at QB and some cap space? Or Kirk Cousins? I think it's pretty obvious.
I agree, but at the same time if the Vikings hit on a QB they like in this Draft....somehow, some way.....it could potentially be the last year of Kirk Cousins in Minnesota. A NFL team needs to utilize that rookie contract window for a QB to their benefit. The rookie would sit one year and potentially start next season, warts and all.
I don't disagree. Vikings have to take their shot. I'm just speaking in terms of odds. I just hope we get a definitive answer one way or the other.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
@ Havoc1649 said:
“The Vikings aren’t confident Cousins is capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.”
This line comes from a clickbait rumor site and has zero credibility. Don't think this came from the Vikings front office, because they would obviously never say that. Or even think it.
Should the Viking prepare for a post-Cousins world? Yes. Should the Vikings look at QBs in this draft or next? Yes. But what's more likely to result in a Lombardi in the next few years? A roll of the dice youngster at QB and some cap space? Or Kirk Cousins? I think it's pretty obvious.
I think the line is not a statement from anybody within the organization, but an assumption based on the fact that we did not bend over backwards to give him what he wanted on an extension and are willing to let him play the last year of his deal. There's no deal, and all options are open including the draft. If they WERE confident Kirk Cousins was the man to lead them to the Super Bowl the extension would be signed already but the organization is hedging their bets and exploring other options. That's unheard of if they truly believed Kirk Cousins was their guy
Quote: @supafreak84 said:
@ MaroonBells said:
@ Havoc1649 said:
“The Vikings aren’t confident Cousins is capable of leading them to a Super Bowl.”
This line comes from a clickbait rumor site and has zero credibility. Don't think this came from the Vikings front office, because they would obviously never say that. Or even think it.
Should the Viking prepare for a post-Cousins world? Yes. Should the Vikings look at QBs in this draft or next? Yes. But what's more likely to result in a Lombardi in the next few years? A roll of the dice youngster at QB and some cap space? Or Kirk Cousins? I think it's pretty obvious.
I think the line is not a statement from anybody within the organization, but an assumption based on the fact that we did not bend over backwards to give him what he wanted on an extension and are willing to let him play the last year of his deal. There's no deal, and all options are open including the draft. If they WERE confident Kirk Cousins was the man to lead them to the Super Bowl the extension would be signed already but the organization is hedging their bets and exploring other options. That's unheard of if they truly believed Kirk Cousins was their guy
I think like every decision, it's a simple cost-benefit analysis. I think they believe the benefit is high (ie., they believe in Cousins). But the cost to keep him is also very high. So they will explore draft picks and young veterans in an attempt to land the QBOTF at a much lower cost.
Quote: @PurpleCrush said:
Wow. Yeah that is interesting and judging by that bionic sling he's in, if I were the Niners I'd definitely be having some concerns. I also agree with whoever said it-- I think @MaroonBells -- that Purdy has only started a few games. He looks good but coupled with the low draft capital spent, I'm not sure I'd be ready to hand him the keys to the Lambo just yet. If they don't think he can go in 2023 then the Kirk rumors (or the Brady ones) do start to make more sense from San Fran's standpoint. Still not really sure how it'd make sense for Minnesota unless our FO really believes Lance can be a franchise QB, which also implies they think themselves smarter than the team trading him.
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