Between the conclusion of the NFL season and the beginning of free agency, we are stuck. The Vikings are squarely in the heart of the season of conjecture.
By Michael Rand Star Tribune
Eleven days ago was the Super Bowl. The following week is the NFL Scouting Combine. A few weeks from now is the start of free agency and the new league year. It will be the draft in a few months.
Now? It’s the season of conjecture.
Almost everything is discussed in the NFL, even if very little is actually happening there. drafts that are mocked up. deals that are theoretical. Decisions about the roster are imminent. Cap area.
Unless Kirk Cousins is re-signed by Minnesota in the next weeks, the Vikings are right in the thick of things, with their quarterback of the past six seasons ready to become a free agent. What transpires with Cousins will undoubtedly affect the Vikings’ ultimate draft strategy and possibly impact other quarterback dominoes.
What is the current situation? We may compensate for our lack of clarity with an abundance of opinions, as I discussed on Thursday’s Daily Delivery podcast.
Here are some recent national viewpoints on the Vikings, Cousins, and potential draft choices that I find to be the most fascinating and/or entertaining:
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*This week’s CBS Sports mock draft showed that the Vikings would select Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at pick No. 11. That seems high given the numerous other projections that indicate McCarthy should have been selected late in the first or early in the second round, but matching the Vikings with McCarthy has recently gained popularity.
McCarthy is likely still available to the Vikings if they decide to trade back for him. And if they truly like him, knowing that McCarthy will almost definitely be available, unlike Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels, will provide them some peace of mind while the Cousins tale unfolds (though some believe he will be a Top-10 choice and will still necessitate a trade up).
*Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer observed that Cousins “is now in position to hit the market like he did six years ago, this time older and, of course, more injured,” suggesting that the Vikings are unlikely to offer him a fully guaranteed contract this time around.
The fact that so many sites are beginning to write more about potential destinations for Cousins outside of Minnesota is interesting. While it’s not a given, you can read more about it here, here, and here.
*And lastly, with the most recent annual NFL Quarterback Commitment Index, The Ringer has the best article of the week. Here’s my perspective on Cousins, but the whole piece is worth reading:
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“The Vikings are a younger team that had an older player on it for a few years. Minnesota has a terrific offensive line and an offensive core that includes receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. This is how the biological clock is ticking.How many more Packers quarterbacks over generations must Vikings supporters endure before they can move past Cousins?”
All of this is speculative in nature, but not very so. This is what I would advise: Be alert when the Scouting Combine begins the next week. Information will start to flow when you bring a bunch of NFL executives, agents, and reporters together in one location.
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