The Vikings Are Way Too Talented to Tank for Caleb Williams

Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski recently wrote about six NFL teams that "must consider tanking for Caleb Williams in 2024 Draft as top priority." Five of the six — the Cardinals, Commanders, Falcons, Buccaneers, and Raiders — won between 4 and 8 games last season.

That makes the Vikings, who won 13 games and a division title last season behind four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins, the most interesting franchise on the list.

Sobleski's argument is that the Vikings already began moving towards a rebuild this offseason by parting ways with various expensive veterans, and that upgrading from Cousins should be the next step.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins remains the primary sticking point, though. While the roster around the 34-year-old veteran drastically changes, Cousins serves as an anchor to the ship the Vikings are trying to row ashore.

Cousins is a competent quarterback. The four-time Pro Bowl selection operates proficiently within an offense's structure. Therein lies the problem. He does exactly what's asked of him. Nothing more, nothing less. As a result, the Vikings are a product of what's schemed and what those around Cousins are capable of once the ball is in their hands.

In a world where the quarterback position evolved into what an individual can add beyond what's scripted, Cousins is a throwback. He can do enough for a team to compete and even win a division crown. Yet his teams have never gotten further than a divisional playoff contest.

Furthermore, Cousins and the Vikings are approaching a crossroads, since the quarterback is a free agent after the upcoming season. Adofo-Mensah should expedite the process and enter a full-blown rebuild by moving on from Cousins sooner rather than later.

That's all quite reasonable analysis of the Vikings' situation. There's little doubt that they should be looking for their quarterback of the future soon in order to give themselves a championship ceiling. The team itself clearly recognizes that, considering Cousins wasn't extended this offseason and will hit free agency next spring.

The issue that this is an article about teams who should tank for Williams this season and the Vikings blurb doesn't include any details about how they would go about doing that. Is the suggestion that Minnesota should trade Cousins before this season starts? If so, who is trading for an expensive veteran QB on a one-year deal right before training camp?

Williams is an incredible quarterback prospect who possesses shades of Patrick Mahomes. You can certainly make the argument that it would be in the Vikings' best interest to be bad this season and have a shot at landing Williams.

However, it's just not realistic. The Vikings won't win 13 games again in 2023, but there is far too much talent on their roster and coaching staff for them to be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick, even with a difficult schedule. Led by Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Christian Darrisaw, the Vikings' offense might be among the league's best in year two under Kevin O'Connell. Defensively, the hire of over-qualified coordinator Brian Flores should lead to at least a slight improvement from last year's disaster.

Now, if the Vikings end up trading Danielle Hunter before the season, that would be an even bigger step towards a rebuild than any of their previous offseason moves. That could cost Minnesota a win or two and give the franchise additional draft capital to potentially move up for a quarterback like Williams next April. But even then, it's really difficult to imagine the Vikings losing enough to enter the Williams sweepstakes organically, barring an injury to Cousins or Jefferson.

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