Zulgad: Russell Wilson might look like potential fit for Vikings, but they should take a hard pass
The Minnesota Vikings will have myriad options to replace Kirk Cousins if the quarterback departs in free agency this March, but there is one possibility that hopefully has been dismissed.
That would be the potential of veteran quarterback Russell Wilson ending up in purple. The seed for Wilson joining the Vikings came from a recent article by Jeremy Fowler, an ESPN senior NFL national reporter and former Vikings beat writer for the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Fowler wrote what amounts to a “state of Russell Wilson” piece in which he talked to various NFL executives about what might happen to him. He almost certainly won’t be back with the Denver Broncos next season. The Vikings, Buccaneers and Falcons were all mentioned as potential fits.
Here’s what Fowler wrote about Wilson and the Vikings:
League sources see several logical fits for Wilson, who could thrive in an offense that schemes clearly defined throws off play-action and the running game.
Don’t be surprised if Wilson, should he become a free agent, is intrigued by Minnesota, assuming Kirk Cousins doesn’t re-sign with the Vikings (a big question). Kevin O’Connell comes from the Sean McVay passing tree that maximizes quarterback efficiency. Wilson would have plenty of weapons in a group that includes Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison.
If the Broncos do release Wilson after two seasons, they are going to be on the hook for much of what he will be owed, and any team signing him would only have to make a limited investment. But would the Vikings take a chance on the 35-year-old?
The Vikings’ choices would appear to be bringing back Cousins — something they likely only will be willing to do at a term and price they deem to be fair — or drafting a quarterback in the first or second round and making him the immediate starter, or having him sit behind a bridge quarterback for one season.
Some might feel Wilson would fit into the second scenario. I’m not one of them. The opinion here on Wilson has changed in a big way during his two disappointing seasons in Denver. The Seattle Seahawks’ starting quarterback for 10 seasons, Wilson was named to nine Pro Bowls and helped lead Seattle to two consecutive Super Bowls and one title.
There was a time when I would have been happy to see the Vikings acquire Wilson — even at a substantial price tag on the trade return. When the Seahawks dealt Wilson to the Broncos in a deal that included two first-round picks going to Seattle in March 2022, it seemed Denver had solved its issues at the QB position.
It turns out the Seahawks fleeced the Broncos, and it’s now clear that Denver coach Sean Payton has no interest in keeping Wilson and his huge contract around. Wilson is certain to find a new team this offseason, assuming the Broncos unload him and take the massive financial hit that will come with that decision, but if his representatives contact the Vikings, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah should hang up.
Why?
Because it’s time that coach Kevin O’Connell, a former NFL quarterback, devotes his time to developing a young quarterback and not worrying about whether he’s keeping a high-profile veteran happy. There’s a reason the Seahawks traded Wilson after so many years, and the Vikings don’t need a declining veteran who would bring unwanted attention with him because of his name.
The only reason Wilson would be more attractive than Cousins is that he would come at a much cheaper price, but that wouldn’t be a good reason to sign him. Coming off a disappointing 7-10 finish, the Vikings need to be looking to the future. Wilson’s presence wouldn’t fit with that.
What happens if you draft a quarterback early, sign Wilson and then want to bench Wilson (something the Broncos did late in the season) in favor of the new guy? That’s known as an unnecessary distraction.
Keeping Cousins wouldn’t be the same for two reasons: One, it appears he has more left than Wilson, even coming off an Achilles injury; and two, the Vikings likely would focus on taking much-needed defense early in this draft, if Cousins sticks around. If Cousins does bolt, signing a bridge QB to help with the transition process would be fine, but it would have to be someone who is used to being a backup and not a former Pro Bowl player trying to prove the starting job should be his for the foreseeable future.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com.
