Is it time for the Vikings to sell and trade Kirk Cousins? | The Exempt List
Yahoo Sports NFL writer Charles McDonald is joined by ESPN’s Damien Woody to discuss if placing Justin Jefferson on injured reserve should spark Minnesota to punt on their season. Hear the full conversation on “The Exempt List with Charles McDonald” - part of the “Zero Blitz” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
CHARLES MCDONALD: Justin Jefferson put on IR. Adam Schefter tweeted, essentially, if things go really bad this season for the Vikings, you might not see him again, because what's the point? Do you think it's time for the Vikings to start selling? If they do, would you trade Kirk Cousins if you were them?
DAMIEN WOODY: Yes. When you look at the Vikings, they're in the-- they're in the worst place you want to be-- stuck in the middle. Like, to me, that's the worst place you want to be, where you're not terrible, but there's no way you're going to compete with anybody at the top.
And so if I'm the Vikings, your best player going on IR, if you keep losing games, why would Justin Jefferson come back this year? Like, it doesn't even make sense-- especially you know he wants a new contract. You got to pay him.
So if I'm Justin Jefferson, if this team keeps losing, I'm not coming back when I got a pot of gold sitting for me on the other side as far as a contract extension. I would absolutely look to trade Kirk Cousins. If you're going to lose, then just go all in.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Yeah. It's just tough. I think one of the interesting questions is, where do you send him? I think New England is kind of interesting as far as-- I don't know if you could get their first round pick because they're slated to pick pretty high too, but Belichick, he just kind of seems like a guy, man, if I can just get back to baseline competent quarterback play, I will take that.
I will take that. And I guess one question I have for you is so if you were on a team, right, and you're 1 and 4, and guys start getting traded around you, what would that do to the vibe in the locker room, or what does that do to, like, you know, how guys are thinking about the team moving forward?
DAMIEN WOODY: Oh, everyone would know, like, what, the season is all about. Like, once you're bad, the team starts selling off parts, you know what time it is. Like, OK, we're clearly not-- we're not trying to win this year. But as far as you an individual, you got to go out there and do your thing.
Because the way you think about it is, OK, well, my tape is my resume, right? There's 31 other teams out there. So I can't go out there and quote unquote "tank" myself and put out bad tape just in case I get moved, whatever the case may be.
So the players are going to go out there and do their thing. The organization just might have it otherwise as far as what their motives are for the season.
