Yes, Russell Wilson would be nice, but the Vikings can win with Kirk Cousins
It has only been a week since the Minnesota Vikings’ 2021 season was pulled off life support, and people are already coming up with wild, dream-like scenarios to ensure the disappointment doesn’t linger in 2022. One of those scenarios would be pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks to replace quarterback Kirk Cousins with Russell Wilson.
The talk stems from the news on Sunday, via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, that Wilson wanted to “explore his options” this offseason.
“Wilson has not demanded a trade, and it’s not clear if he will,” wrote Rapoport. “But at the least, those close to Wilson say he wants to investigate other destinations to see if those would put him in a better position to win another championship and create the legacy he sees for himself.”
The thought of Wilson, an eight-time Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion, being thrown into an offense with Justin Jefferson, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen and K.J. Osborn is a wildly entertaining fantasy scenario.
And then the reality bomb drops.
The Vikings don’t want to trade away Wilson. And if they have to make that move, the price would be a bigger gut-punch than a Malcolm Butler interception on the one-yard line in the Super Bowl.
Last February, NFL Network’s Michael Silver reported other teams around the league believed the Seahawks were looking at around three first-round draft picks as the possible trade price for Wilson. Looking at the Vikings’ situation, it isn’t even feasible for them to set their franchise back for multiple years for that kind of investment.
Are we just going to pretend like the team doesn’t need an influx of young talent on the defensive side of the ball?
The unit just finished 31st overall in total defense with one of the worst salary cap situations in the league. So those future draft picks are desperately needed with the team at least $10.7 million over the cap.
And no, the Seahawks aren’t about to be finessed in a straight up player-for-player deal and put themselves in the exorbitant contract business with a player like Cousins.
The Vikings would clearly be a better team with Wilson under center, but this isn’t an issue of one player simply being better than the other. Cousins isn’t the problem in Minnesota when it comes to the team getting over the hump and becoming a Super Bowl contender.
He’s obviously the proverbial punching bag in such arguments given his $45 million cap hit in 2022. But no one ever talks about the struggles along the interior portion of the offensive line. Combine those issues with all of the necessary defensive changes and it’s clear the Vikings have other work to do.
Cousins might not be an elite option, but he’s a serviceable one to win a Super Bowl in Minnesota.
There are a lot of teams in the league right now that would be happy to have a player of his caliber under center. It’s hard to even find good quarterbacks with the production shown by Cousins—4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Even with Wilson at quarterback, the offensive line and defensive problems won’t magically go away. And Wilson turns 34 next season as well. Given the slew of injuries he’s endured, it might not be a wise choice for the Vikings to mortgage future draft picks on him playing hero ball. Isn’t that what he was trying to do in Seattle?
Cousins may not be Superman, but he can fly just as high if the Vikings get everything else right.
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