Good Morning Football's Jamie Erdahl: It's time for Vikings to ditch Kirk Cousins for Lamar Jackson
The Vikings finished 2022 with a 13-4 record, their first NFC North title since 2017, the fifth best passing offense in the league but were bounced in the first round by the New York Giants. For Good Morning Football's, and Minnesotan, Jamie Erdahl that's simply not enough.
Erdahl, a Minnesota native, gave an impassioned speech about the Vikings needing to move on from Kirk Cousins in a segment about expectations for the Vikings QB in 2023.
"Hearing Michael Brockers say something like 'Kirk Cousins, he's a starting quarterback in this league.' Hearing their head coach say 'We hope 2023 will be Kirk Cousins' most successful and competitive season, yet,' is like saying 'Oh my gosh you went to Broadway. Was it the most incredible show you've ever seen?' and you respond 'It was a Broadway show,'" said Erdahl.
"Be the NFC North champs all you want Minnesota Vikings," Erdahl continued. "Can you make it to an NFC title game? Can you make it to a Super Bowl? Can you not lose in the first round of the playoffs again?"
It wasn't all just pointing out a problem. Erdahl hassolution that's been rumored quite a bit lately.
"While I hope Kirk Cousins does have the most competitive season I'm not sure it necessarily needs to be with the Minnesota Vikings," said Erdahl.
Related: What move would make the Vikings' offseason a success?
"The Vikings have the wide receiver. They have the draft picks. If they send two draft picks to the Baltimore Ravens and receive Lamar Jackson that is finally an edge of a quarterback, a dynamic quarterback. Because this Kirk Cousins experience, while statistically beautiful, and while it earns you a division championship, in the regular season, it is not pushing you over the edge the way you think it needs to do in the postseason."
"I am happy for Kirk Cousins that he has officially dropped this narrative that he only wins in one o'clock games, that's great. You're not winning in January and that's frustrating for everybody. You have an unbelievable talent at wide receiver in Justin Jefferson that if you're not careful, I know you're going to extend him, but you have to find a quarterback that is going to make him great, that is going to make this team great," continued Erdahl.
Cousins had eight fourth quarter comebacks this season as the Vikings won 11 one-score games in Kevin O'Connell's first season as head coach.
"To play in a division that is ripe for the taking and all you're ever doing is winning regular season division titles, you have to make a change," said Erdahl. "Sometimes those changes are scary but bringing in somebody like Lamar Jackson I think would be prime."
"I love Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, I think he's an unbelievable talent, but don't come in and say you're going to change the culture and not have part of the culture be 'We're going to compete for Super Bowls,'" Erdahl said.
At Tuesday's NFC coaches breakfast Vikings head coach seemed rather noncommittal about Cousins past 2023 saying , ""I'm just excited for year two for him in this offseason ... My goal is for 2023 to be one of the best seasons of his career and when that happens it's going to be a great thing for the Vikings."
