Vikings GM Rick Spielman: "Kirk Cousins is Our Quarterback"
Because of his large contract and his polarizing nature within the Vikings fanbase (and the NFL as a whole), quarterback Kirk Cousins has been the subject of endless trade rumors in the early stages of this offseason.
A month ago, coach Mike Zimmer tried to quiet those rumors, saying "Kirk's our guy" on a Good Morning Football appearance. Did that stop the rumors? Nope.
On Wednesday, GM Rick Spielman doubled down on Zimmer's stance when asked about Cousins.
"I think Coach Zim put that to bed when he spoke after the season," Spielman said. "Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. I know there’s a lot of rumors floating around out there, but Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We felt that he played very well, probably the best that he’s ever played down that stretch last year. Kirk is our quarterback going forward, and I look forward to him [having] another year in this system. I’m excited for him and what he’s going to bring to our team next year."
This is nothing new. There have been no indications that the Vikings are exploring trade possibilities for Cousins.
Even though he's expensive and started slowly in each of the past two years, Cousins' overall numbers have been very strong since Minnesota adopted Gary Kubiak's offensive scheme in 2019. The Vikings value the continuity that he brings to their offense, which ranked fourth in total yardage last season, and they're excited about what he can do in 2021 with Klint Kubiak now calling plays.
The reality is that Zimmer and Spielman are in win-now mode. Their seats will start to become very hot if the Vikings miss the playoffs again in 2021. For better or for worse, this is another offseason that they're not viewing as a rebuild. They need to win this year, and Cousins gives them a better chance to do that than any other quarterback they could realistically acquire.
Cousins has a national reputation as an overpaid QB who can't win big games and isn't a top-ten option at the position. That narrative is pointless and incorrect. Over the past two seasons, every imaginable advanced metric has Cousins as a top-ten QB who is highly efficient, particularly on deep passes. The Vikings believe he has plenty of good years left.
"I still think Kirk right now is still in the prime of his career, at 32," Spielman said. "And he’s got a lot of good football left in him."
On March 19th, Cousins' $35 million base salary for 2022 becomes fully guaranteed. Even if the Vikings wanted to trade him, which they don't, his contract makes it very difficult to do so. The most likely outcome is that Cousins is not only the Vikings' quarterback in 2021, but he's here in 2022 and beyond as well. Another extension could be coming for salary cap purposes this offseason or next.
A Cousins trade this year or in the future can't be ruled out entirely. After all, there were times when Spielman said Percy Harvin and Stefon Diggs wouldn't be traded. This is the NFL, where anything can happen.
But for now, there's no reason to believe the Vikings will have a starting QB other than Kirk Cousins anytime soon.
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