Kirk to Pittsburgh? Trade Cousins?

I did, because I was so tired of the Ponders, TJacks and expoding knees. Say what you will, but Kirk is above all of that. Will he win us a Lombardi? Not with this current "system." So, I guess I really don't care whether we keep him or trade him at this point. I'm hoping we really mix (or blow - and I'm not talkiing about that goat) things up because that at least provides relief (possibly comic relief) from what we've been getting. I'm keeping JJ, Cook, Smith Jr., KJ and as much of the OL as makes sense (Darrisaw, Cleveland and O'Neil). I'm probably keeping Kendricks on D. Beyond that, I honestly don't much care anymore. Harry is aging and overpaid. Barr is just overpaid. Hunter is injured and soon-to-be overpaid. I would honestly be more excited about some sexy draft capital to build the next rendition than deluding myself into believing that we're "ready for that deep playoff run."

Yeah, look at last season for a guide to QB values:

Bridgewater: 6th
Darnold: 2nd + 4th + 6th
Wentz: Conditional 2nd / 1st
Stafford: 2 firsts + Goff

Then ask where does Cousins fit on that quality scale? He's clearly a better option than Bridgewater or Darnold. Wentz is an Interesting situation since he was a near MVP that fell off to worst in the league status. Compare 3 QBs blind:

QB 1
Career Win %: .514
Completion %: 62.7%
TD:INT Ratio: 2.45:1
Yards / Game: 247

QB 2
Career Win %: .525
Completion %: 68.5%
TD:INT Ratio: 3.35:1
Yards / Game: 262

QB 3
Career Win %: .466
Completion %: 62.9%
TD:INT Ratio: 2.04:1
Yards / Game: 275

QB 4
Career Win %: .491
Completion %: 67.0%
TD:INT Ratio: 2.44:1
Yards / Game: 261

Knowing all those players were valued somewhere between a 2nd & two 1st round picks, how much trade capital would each bring?

[highlight for players]
QB1: Wentz (Eagles career)
QB2: Cousins (Minnesota only)
QB3: Stafford (Detroit career)
QB4: Cousins (Washington + Minnesota)
[/highlight]

Nice, I wish I had more time to do things like this. I would love to do a segment reporting on the pulse of other teams' fanbases on certain topics...


Wait, were you suggesting that it would cost Carolina's 1st rounder? I wonder if they would have been more open if you offered a lower price.


EVERYONE? I can believe that a majority believes that Kirk is not worth a trade & extension, but there are certainly some Kirk 'stans' out there who would take him as their QB.

I also wonder how many teams are hoping to get Rodgers/Watson/Wilson on the trade market, and see Cousins as the 4th best option - so with the sexier options out there, it's no wonder fans won't want their teams to settle.

I think you might be a bit delusional on that one. Wentz got as much as he did in that trade because he was relatively cheap, young and had shown he can play at an MVP level that Cousins could only dream of achieving. Maybe if they had identical contracts you could argue Cousins' health makes him as or even more desirable as Wentz, but Indy now has him locked in on a deal that has very little guarantees and will be half of what the top QBs will be making for years.

With Stafford there was the hope that not being on one of the worst teams in football would allow him to be on the same level as a Rodgers/Wilson/Mahomes. You can't really make that argument for Cousins who is playing with a top 5 receiver corp, has a great run game, is one of the least sacked/pressured QBs in the NFL and still only has the 15th best scoring offense. To say nothing of how he took a 13 win team to 8 wins when he joined the Vikings in 2018. I would argue Stafford is pretty much the same QB as Cousins and deserves at least some of the blame for his record as a QB, but that is not the perception across the NFL. Again with Stafford his contract is much more affordable over the 2 years he is under contract with the Rams, so even if you felt they were the same QB, one year for 35 million versus 2 years for about 43 million total makes Stafford far more valuable at the time of the trade. I also think that if Stafford and Cousins were perceived as being close to the same value, the Rams would have come to the Vikings with the offer they gave the Lions since Cousins is younger and more durable.

But don't we have a GM on the hot seat, and he and his coach would love to win 10 games - but can't with Cousins?

Unless they can win out this year, this team, which was considered loaded and on the edge of the Superbowl after 2017, has only won 10 games once with Cousins. Who seriously thinks he lifts the Giants or some other sad team to 10 wins?

Yes GMs want to keep their jobs, but to do that they have to provide something that excites their fans. Does Cousins?? You haven't been able to find a team's fans that want him, have you?


IMO the question is, "If Spielman remains our GM, why would we have any expectation he will trade Cousins?"

Funny you say Matt Cassel, he is one of 2 opening day starters the Vikings have had who didn't make the playoffs at one point as a Viking.

The Vikings have just as many or more playoff appearances with Tjack, Ponder, Bridgewater, Bradford, McMahon, or Johnson as our opening day starters as Cousins.

Ok. But NOODLE ARMED? GTFFOH!