This isn't going to be a popular opinion with some....
Let's take for granted we can believe some of what we've been told where it pertains to the QB position:
1. "NFL Teams fails young QBs more than young QBs fail NFL Teams" - KOC
2. KOC had severe reservations over whether JJM was ready to take over.
3. Kwesi ultimately was the fall guy for the Darnold/QB situation
What this tells me is ownership has been embarrassed by Darnold/Seattle's success. They will insist on a better situation at QB next season. Finally, they also won't want to be embarrassed twice by creating their own "Darnold" and watch him have success further down the line.
I can't see a scenario where the Vikings punt on JJM completely...unless there is more going on behind the scenes than we know. But I also think ownership will demand more out of the QB position than we got last year. This means REAL competition needs to be brought in for JJ. That being said, you have to be careful the kind of competition you bring in. If you are bringing in a 26-28 year old that's costing you a decent amount of draft capital/salary, you're essentially saying you're moving on completely from JJM. There's no QB in that realm that's going to be a "2 Year fix" (Murray/Willis/Jones?
So that means you need to move to an older vet. I'm not even entertaining the idea of Geno Smith because he was actively AWFUL this year or Derek Carr because he hasn't touched a football in two years. The Aaron Rodgers ship has sailed as I think he'll go with McCarthy in Pittsburgh for another year if he does decide to play.
That leaves realistically one QB that can make you competitive and not be tied to them outside of 2 years.....and that is one Kirk Daniel Cousins. He knows the system inside and out, could literally hit the ground running and would provide ACTUAL competition for JJM. If JJ miraculously blossoms over the course of the offseason and beats out Cousins, best of both worlds....you have your young Franchise QB and the best possible back up you could ask for that can run the entire playbook if JJ gets hurt. If Cousins beats out JJ, you have an entire season to evaluate a non injured JJ behind the scenes to see if he can be your guy down the line.
If you determine it's not going to work with JJ after the season, in that scenario, you'd presumably have control of Cousins for the next 1-2 years to draft and groom his replacement from the 2027 draft class.
I essentially said many of the same things a bit back, but one un-arguable point was brought up. Will Cousins come in somewhere where he isn't the starter? Is he in a place in his life and career where he will accept a backup/mentoring role? All indications with Kirk so far says...no..he still believes he can start and he still wants maximum cash investment. The Vikings are already over the cap significantly, so paying Cousins 30 million to backup probably isn't feasible.
Also, on point number 3, I don't think the QB situation had much if anything to do with Kwesi's downfall. I believe there was the beginning of a fracture between Kwesi and KOC. I believe the Wilfs had some PTSD from the Spielman and Zimmer days that they may have caused an overreaction in the other direction. I also believe the failure in draft day moves, and not even necessarily the picks, but for instance the unbelievably bad move in the 2022 draft and the inability to move up and get Drake Maye had a lot more to do with it then just not keeping Darnold. If they realistically decided to fire Kwesi because of hindsight on Darnold, then I am with Supa on this in saying they have no clue what they are doing and should sell the team to us fans as stockholders!
1. true
2. not sure that we know the total story here
3. there has been a lot of piling on here regardless the Wilfs signed off on the plan
Moving forward I guess we'll see what JJM is truly made of and whether or not KOC can actually develop a young QB. Also curious about who else is going to end up on the QB room
You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it. — Robin Williams
I think Cousins is signed with the idea that he is the starter or, at minimum, the leader in the clubhouse to start the season. JJ would literally have to beat him out with, what I'm assuming would be, an insanely good camp. Look I don't think anyone with a functional set of eyes would say that JJM doesn't have a long way to go...and this is coming from a JJM supporter. This would be the kind of pressure that makes or breaks him.
Cousins, by all rights, would be the starter unless JJ proves that he IS that good. You also give Cousins an opt out after one year if that makes him more comfortable, but you pay him and treat him like he's coming in as the starting QB.
CFIAvike wrote:
I think Cousins is signed with the idea that he is the starter or, at minimum, the leader in the clubhouse to start the season. JJ would literally have to beat him out with, what I'm assuming would be, an insanely good camp. Look I don't think anyone with a functional set of eyes would say that JJM doesn't have a long way to go...and this is coming from a JJM supporter. This would be the kind of pressure that makes or breaks him.Cousins, by all rights, would be the starter unless JJ proves that he IS that good. You also give Cousins an opt out after one year if that makes him more comfortable, but you pay him and treat him like he's coming in as the starting QB.
I just don't think this would be in the best interest of the team. The 2 biggest issues with JJ right now is can he stay healthy and can KOC tailor a gameplan that fits his game. The last 5 games he started, when healthy, he looked functional to good. To me that is only going to get better, BUT he has to stay healthy. The backup needs to be insurance so that the season doesn't blow up if he can't stay in there.
JJ can only go up, but again I think health will dictate where he goes from here. I just think your best options at this point are going to be a QB that can stabilize in the case of an injury but isn't expecting to come in as the starter. I am not even sure who that guy is at this point? Maybe a Jameis Winston, Justin Fields (If released), even maybe a Joe Flacco or Ryan Tannehill.
CFIAvike wrote:
I think Cousins is signed with the idea that he is the starter or, at minimum, the leader in the clubhouse to start the season. JJ would literally have to beat him out with, what I'm assuming would be, an insanely good camp. Look I don't think anyone with a functional set of eyes would say that JJM doesn't have a long way to go...and this is coming from a JJM supporter. This would be the kind of pressure that makes or breaks him.Cousins, by all rights, would be the starter unless JJ proves that he IS that good. You also give Cousins an opt out after one year if that makes him more comfortable, but you pay him and treat him like he's coming in as the starting QB.
I think it's going to be the opposite. JJM will be the defacto starter and the veteran QB will be reserved for later in the season if JJM is shitting the bed hard or comes into camp woefully unprepared. If JJM shows some growth over last year, you continue the experiment, and if it's not working out, the backup can take over. If KOC can get 9 wins out of this past season of QBing, he can put the backup in whenever and still get to the playoffs.
I've been saying the same thing about Kirko for awhile, now, and I always put the big IFs in there: IF he can deal with being QB2, and IF he'll take QB2 money.
I still wonder if his recent injuries and relegation to QB2 status (before being called back to the front line) gave him any new insights, any new perspectives...?
I actually hope so, as he already knows most of the playbook, knows the players, knows the higher coaches, and could be EXACTLY the plug-and-play backup we lacked last season.
If not Kirko...I think Wentz deserves at least some consideration, as he had very little time in our system before gametime came.
KOC, JJM, Flores...make a good plan, or you'll be following Kwesi....
I think KC needs the money to fuel his game, early on it was the disrespect from being the later round guy playing behind the cant moss blue chip, now its the pay day that fuels his self worth. If it was about chasing a ring or excellence he would play for nothing at this point and do whatever he could to be part of something great, but im betting he still goes for starter money, evem if it's not his best opportunity at achieving more tham just a bigger pay check.
Why isn't Chuck Foreman in the Hall of Fame?
Kwesi wasn't fired because Darnold made the Super Bowl. Things I've heard from a little birdie support what the Wilfs said in their press conference after his firing... it was a culmination of a lot of things.
Biggest one being how the QB situation unfolded the last two years. Apparently we had a deal with New England to trade to #3 for Drake Maye and Kwesi screwed it up by asking for some future mid-rounders back. The pivot to JJ McCarthy wasn't an issue (he has his believers on the coaching staff), but I heard before the season started that KOC didn't think he was ready to start after missing most of his rookie year and wanted to keep Darnold until JJ proved he was ready to go. Front office wanted to take advantage of a rookie QB contract and load up the roster. This certainly jives with KOCs frustration at times early in the season and why he played it safe with JJ McCarthy coming off the high ankle sprain. I think KOC knew he wasn't ready and didn't want to ruin him but Wentz going on IR didn't give the staff much choice.
Then you add in Kwesi admitting he miscalculated on the Daniel Jones situation and there you go... he let Darnold walk against his HC's wishes, he failed to keep Daniel Jones in the building by not offering more than a 1-year deal and assurance it would be an open competition, and our QB room was a mess. We let two good veteran options go and brought in Howell and then Wentz and called it good.
Meanwhile this years FA class was expensive and didn't have anywhere near the impact his 2024 class had... he had a horrible draft in his first year and most of the guys he's drafted in 2022 and 2023 aren't even on the roster and he apparently liked evaluating time horizons and spreadsheets more than collaborating with FO folks, scouts, and coaches...
Sometimes the truth is staring you right in the face. I do think KOC will push to get a solid veteran in here. Who that ends up being? Not sure. One thing I'll say about Kirk is he doesn't look like the guy he was before the Achilles injury. He's good enough to push JJ McCarthy and start a few games but I think his days as a starter are done. He just doesn't have any zip on his throws and KOC loves to attack with deep outs and intermediate crossers. I don't think Kirk can make those anymore.
MAD GAINZ wrote:
Apparently we had a deal with New England to trade to #3 for Drake Maye and Kwesi screwed it up by asking for some future mid-rounders back.
This is a myth.
SI.com‘s Albert Breer published a piece this week chronicling Sam Darnold’s rise in Seattle, laying out the broader takeaways from that arc.
Buried inside the article was a revealing detail about Minnesota’s quarterback ambitions in 2024. Breer wrote, “There’s the one caveat to all of this, which is that the Vikings tried with all their might to trade up for Drake Maye in 2024. O’Connell loved him. Maye was coached in high school by Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was a teammate of McCown’s son.”
“Minnesota offered both of its first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) and its 2025 first-rounder to the Patriots, with later-round pick swaps favoring Minnesota to move up to the third pick.”
Despite that, a segment of the fan base has spent the time since the 2024 NFL Draft insisting Minnesota simply walked away from the deal. That belief doesn’t align with what actually happened.
Breer added, “O’Connell pushed them to go further. It wouldn’t matter, because the Patriots weren’t moving, sitting there as convicted in Maye as Minnesota was in the former North Carolina quarterback.” The resistance came from New England, not hesitation from Minnesota.
“But if the Vikings had somehow gotten the Patriots off their spot with Maye, all of this might look different, and the aforementioned rumblings probably would have stopped.” The entire trajectory hinged on a pick that was never available.
https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/vikings-misses-myths-kwesi-maye-cine
Kirk would be a good fit for the reasons mentioned, but Carr should be cheaper and is easier to picture/less of a distraction in a backup role. He's my pick
Id really like to not have to give-up anything even sniffing a mid-round compensation.
Not for someone we all hope never sees the field in 26.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Well I'm still in favor of Jamies Winston. I would think he could be had for a 6th or 7th rounder aka peanuts.
He won't demand the starting job but he can take over if JJM is dogshit. He can run the stuff KOC loves.
Does he throw picks? Sure. So did Sam Darnold. Any QB in purple now is basically the captain of the S.S. YOLO-ball for better or worse. It's a boom-bust offense.
It isn't going to win a title unless Brian Flores produces an historic miracle on defense, but it probably gets the Wilfs their coveted seven seed/early exit that they seem to love way more than getting serious about winning a title.
pattersaur wrote:
Kirk would be a good fit for the reasons mentioned, but Carr should be cheaper and is easier to picture/less of a distraction in a backup role. He's my pick
The speculation is that Carr is only interested in LV where he would be the bridge QB until Mendoza is ready.
Knucklehead wrote:
The speculation is that Carr is only interested in LV where he would be the bridge QB until Mendoza is ready.
That’s actually really funny if Carr thinks he can unretire, force the Saints to pay him money, and then call his shot where they trade him too. Maybe I’m misunderstanding the situation but yeah if he doesn’t wanna play here, don’t trade for him ofc.
Knucklehead wrote:
The speculation is that Carr is only interested in LV where he would be the bridge QB until Mendoza is ready.
That would be a good place for him. But I'm not sure why the Raiders don't just use Geno Smith for that. He's still under contract. And they have Kenny Pickett too.
I have more than once said KC would be an ideal bridge. He already got paid. He has already been knocked off his lofty "I am a starter in the NFL" perch by virtue of what happened in Atlanta. He knows Minnesota, so does his family. He knows KOC's offense. He knows JJetta.
Is he the same athlete that he was before his Achilles injury? Hell no. Especially at his age. However he is at the peak of his last Before Date. He turns 38 in August. That's about where many top QB's have peaked out...
I would also be totally opposed to trading for a QB...even a couple low rent 6th or 7th round picks. Time to reverse Kwesi's penchant for trading picks for a questionable outcome (that more often than not were bad answers to those questions). There are enough FA's out there (including KC) that one of those will fill the bill.
Edit Post (mod action — author will see a notice)
Warn Poster
Suspend User (3 days)
The user will be suspended for 3 days and will receive an email with the reason and information about how to appeal.