Cousins to Vikings (Adam Caplan confirms)

@"dadevike" said:

@"PurplePastor" said:

@"dadevike" said: So he’s not going to visit Denver or the Jets? So not every interested team is in play? I think maybe someone has been less than honest the past few days.

It's called negotiation. Give me what I want or I'm going to visit all interested teams.

Yeah, I know. The little problem they were trying to avoid there is called tampering. 

This just won't die, it keeps gaining fuel. I know that there's so much bullshit out there before free agency, but this story is getting stronger. It would appear that Cousins is staying true to his word of wanting to go to the best team he can. 

well weve passed smoke phase weeks ago. id say that its likley with everything oit there. lets just hope the contract doesnt suck. 

@"AGRforever" said: well weve passed smoke phase weeks ago. id say that its likley with everything oit there. lets just hope the contract doesnt suck. 

Bad contracts were ...

Matt Kalil for 11 mil in his 5th year with no future years secured.
Jared Allen is his final season for 14.28 mil with no future years secured AND Griffen red to go.
AP in his last 3 seasons making over 12 mil per year.  This was one of the worst.
Sam Bradford and his 18 mil because the idiots traded a 1st and a 4th just for one season.
Alex Boone getting 3.4 mil in 2017 for being cut.
Datone Jones getting 1.8 mil guaranteed and then getting cut in 5 months.

...  and the list goes on.

If they sign Cousins and he does not work out then those are the breaks.  Hopefully, they will draft someone this year or next to compete with the apparent HOFer Kyle Sloter.

Some will say that they will miss out on free agents because they have no money.

I do not see them ever really wanting to pay too much.

They did for Reiff but that is because they put themselves in that situation by letting Kalil get that 5th year with no other years secured.

They could not sign Osemele.  Why not?  Oh, that's right.  They have a price point they will not go past.

We see how that worked out.

Having extra money does not mean the Vikings will spend it.

I can't get on RS or the front office badly for the Bradford move...Extraordinary circumstances calling for extraordinary response to save a season.

We've seen Sam's elite arm, best on team right now. Nobody knew at the time (I dont believe) he has a degenerative condition that may or may not limit him in the next 2-4 years.

Boone was a swing and miss for sure, dont get me going on AP lol! 

@"purplefaithful" said: I can't get on RS or the front office badly for the Bradford move...Extraordinary circumstances calling for extraordinary response to save a season.

We've seen Sam's elite arm, best on team right now. Nobody knew at the time (I dont believe) he has a degenerative condition that may or may not limit him in the next 2-4 years.

Boone was a swing and miss for sure, dont get me going on AP lol! 

And there's a difference between a bad contract and a bad decision. Jared Allen was grossly overpaid his last season here, but the Vikings followed through on their commitment to him. That sort of player treatment gets around the NFL. Who knows, might even have some influence on Cousins right now. So bad contract, good decision IMO. Bradford was a good decision, too. I thought Boone was overrated before he even got here. I get the Datone Jones thing. He was a beast at UCLA as a 4-3 end. He was an ill-fit in the Packers' 34. So bringing him on to see if a new scheme might work is understandable. 

I’m hopeful this is real. Guys like Cousins rarely hit the market. I expect he’ll be a solid long term starter who should succeed right away with a very good team around him. What he brings to the Vikes is long term stability. How long has it been since that was the case?  

I don't remember a situation before where 1 free agent was such a perfect fit for 1 team. Probably why it won't happen. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"purplefaithful" said: I can't get on RS or the front office badly for the Bradford move...Extraordinary circumstances calling for extraordinary response to save a season.

We've seen Sam's elite arm, best on team right now. Nobody knew at the time (I dont believe) he has a degenerative condition that may or may not limit him in the next 2-4 years.

Boone was a swing and miss for sure, dont get me going on AP lol! 

I don't think he meant that as a Rick slam. All it takes is one look around the NFL to know that, at any given time, there are a handful of bad contracts on every team. It's just part of the game. 

And there's a difference between a bad contract and a bad decision. Jared Allen was grossly overpaid his last season here, but the Vikings followed through on their commitment to him. That sort of player treatment gets around the NFL. Who knows, might even have some influence on Cousins right now. So bad contract, good decision IMO. Bradford was a good decision, too. I thought Boone was overrated before he even got here. I get the Datone Jones thing. He was a beast at UCLA as a 4-3 end. He was an ill-fit in the Packers' 34. So bringing him on to see if a new scheme might work is understandable. 

You sure do toss around the word idiot a lot.

Wow, I guess I overestimated you. Honestly, I don't think you could be more wrong about any of these. But whatever...

Just a comment on Jared Allen...

The guys play exceeded expectations from the money he was receiving for at LEAST three years...
He never postured, or yelped for more money, even after nearly breaking the sack record. 
He never held out for more money or a new contract...He just played the game he loved.

In the last couple years as his production waned, theVikings stayed committed to him and his contracted salary. I applaud the Vikings for staying with him and honoring his contract, and I applaud JA, for not posturing for more money after his "nearly" record breaking season.

@"FSUVike" said: You sure do toss around the word idiot a lot.

I just think it was poor planning and a bad trade.

Save the season?  Pfft.

After everything that happened he would have been given a mulligan (as he should) for 2016.

But he had to go and throw away draft picks.

I did not like, still don't, and never will.

@"Vanguard83" said: Just a comment on Jared Allen...

The guys play exceeded expectations from the money he was receiving for at LEAST three years...
He never postured, or yelped for more money, even after nearly breaking the sack record. 
He never held out for more money or a new contract...He just played the game he loved.

In the last couple years as his production waned, theVikings stayed committed to him and his contracted salary. I applaud the Vikings for staying with him and honoring his contract, and I applaud JA, for not posturing for more money after his "nearly" record breaking season.

The Vikings did not honor the contract of Hutchinson or Winfield.

So they do not always honor contracts of really good guys and players.

I just like it when a franchise does right by players that spill blood for 'em., wish we did it more often.

say opposed to players like AD that get paid more after beating their kid and whining for more money

Cousins is the only long-term solution that the Vikings would have at QB.  It makes sense to go all out, none of the existing 3 QBs are anything more than stop-gap players.

Interesting stuff.

http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/03/report-bridgewater-backup-plan-vikings-dont-land-cousins/

As we approach a resolution to the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback conundrum, we may have a sense for the team’s order of operations if they do not land top free agent Kirk Cousins. Boston Globe NFL reporter Ben Volin reports that’s Teddy Bridgewater is the fallback plan.
Volin wrote:  
“The Vikings told Teddy Bridgewater at the Combine last weekend that they intend to pursue Cousins, per a league source, but that Bridgewater remains a viable backup plan.”

At the Combine, head coach Mike Zimmer said that he hopes Bridgewater returns to being a starting quarterback after his nearly two-year recovery from a catastrophic knee injury.
Volin added another wrinkle to the Vikings paying out big dollars to Cousins:
“And the Vikings have a couple of issues in going after Cousins. One is that the Vikings want to do new contracts for Stefon Diggs, Anthony Barr, and Danielle Hunter, and giving a mega-deal to Cousins could complicate that. The NFL’s funding requirement could also be an issue — teams are required to put all guaranteed money into escrow, and Vikings ownership isn’t wealthy enough to simply cut a $90 million check and be done with it.”
While there have been reports that the Vikings are the runaway favorite for Cousins, they may not be the favorite to give him the highest offer.
Volin wrote:
“Cousins has narrowed his market to four teams — the Vikings, Broncos, Jets, and Cardinals. The Jets can offer him the most money. The Vikings and Broncos offer him the best chance to win now. The Cardinals are a bit of a wild card — they appear to be in rebuilding mode and don’t have a ton of cap space ($20.6 million or so), but it could be mighty tempting to throw passes to Larry Fitzgerald and hand off to David Johnson.”
Beyond Bridgewater, other possible Vikings backup plans could include trying to re-sign Sam Bradford or Case Keenum. They have also been connected to AJ McCarron and could even consider drafting a QB. The Vikings reportedly met with Baker Mayfield at the Combine.

I have a hard time believing any of this is more than just a blatant attempt at pushing the market price.

I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

I really don't see the Vikings going outside the organization for an offensive leader after a 13-3 season.

@"comet52" said: Interesting stuff.

http://www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/03/report-bridgewater-backup-plan-vikings-dont-land-cousins/

As we approach a resolution to the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback conundrum, we may have a sense for the team’s order of operations if they do not land top free agent Kirk Cousins. Boston Globe NFL reporter Ben Volin reports that’s Teddy Bridgewater is the fallback plan. Volin wrote:   “The Vikings told Teddy Bridgewater at the Combine last weekend that they intend to pursue Cousins, per a league source, but that Bridgewater remains a viable backup plan.”

At the Combine, head coach Mike Zimmer said that he hopes Bridgewater returns to being a starting quarterback after his nearly two-year recovery from a catastrophic knee injury.
Volin added another wrinkle to the Vikings paying out big dollars to Cousins:
“And the Vikings have a couple of issues in going after Cousins. One is that the Vikings want to do new contracts for Stefon Diggs, Anthony Barr, and Danielle Hunter, and giving a mega-deal to Cousins could complicate that. The NFL’s funding requirement could also be an issue — teams are required to put all guaranteed money into escrow, and Vikings ownership isn’t wealthy enough to simply cut a $90 million check and be done with it.”
While there have been reports that the Vikings are the runaway favorite for Cousins, they may not be the favorite to give him the highest offer.
Volin wrote:
“Cousins has narrowed his market to four teams — the Vikings, Broncos, Jets, and Cardinals. The Jets can offer him the most money. The Vikings and Broncos offer him the best chance to win now. The Cardinals are a bit of a wild card — they appear to be in rebuilding mode and don’t have a ton of cap space ($20.6 million or so), but it could be mighty tempting to throw passes to Larry Fitzgerald and hand off to David Johnson.”
Beyond Bridgewater, other possible Vikings backup plans could include trying to re-sign Sam Bradford or Case Keenum. They have also been connected to AJ McCarron and could even consider drafting a QB. The Vikings reportedly met with Baker Mayfield at the Combine.

1). I'm not sure I believe the Wilf's and their ownership group aren't wealthy enough to put $90mm into this and not even blink an eye...Even with the $$ they just poured into Eagan. 

2). I'm not convinced Cousins to Vikings is as done a deal as some have reported. Just a gut feeling.

I frankly dont have a strong opinion on who they should go with. Only that I think this is down to Case or Cousins. If they do end-up with Bridgewater here, then yah, they lost on Cousins, passed on Case and would probably sign another vet as insurance to #5 not being able to make it.