Kirk Cousins being out for the season with a torn Achilles is so brutal. The former fourth-round pick out of Michigan State by Washington has been one of the better and most consistently strong quarterbacks of his generation. He can play at a top-eight level on his best of days. However, a major lower-body injury well into his mid-30s could serve as a great time for the Minnesota Vikings to pivot.
Minnesota was not having a good season to begin with before Cousins sadly went down. Cousins was playing on an expiring contract, so the Vikings could have looked to move off him for another franchise quarterback of their own. The 2024 NFL Draft is expected to be chock full of promising quarterback prospects, especially inside of the top 10 picks. Minnesota may be picking around there.
However, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell's comments about having Cousins back on a new deal should not only have general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah concerned, but also the entire fanbase.
"Kirk Cousins is going to be healthy again. I know he's going to be a free agent after this season, but Kirk knows how I feel about him and that will be something, you know, that hopefully will work itself out ... You guys know how I feel about Kirk. Kirk knows how I feel about Kirk. I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League."
It is only year two working together, but you have to wonder if the Adofo-Mensah/O'Connell pairing will have any staying power in Minnesota. You can't bring back Cousins if you can draft Caleb Williams.
Kevin O'Connell's comments about Kirk Cousins' future is so concerning
Look. I understand fully why O'Connell would want Cousins back on a new deal. He is a strong starting quarterback, one that could provide a young NFL head coach the necessary stability to stick in the Twin Cities in the long run. However, it is very much a year-to-year proposition for Cousins at this point. He could bounce back, or possibly be a shell of himself after he recovers from this major injury.
To me, I think O'Connell needs to get on board with Adofo-Mensah's desire to rebuild this thing, no matter what. Even if the product on the field suffers, O'Connell will not be blamed for it, especially if it is Adofo-Mensah's preference. With Minnesota winning 13 games last season, he could be afforded staying power in Minnesota, or will get at least another good head-coaching opportunity if this fails.
What this all comes down to is this: Minnesota cannot afford to pass up an opportunity to draft someone like Williams, Drake Maye out of North Carolina, J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan, or even Bo Nix out of Oregon or Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington. This could be the best quarterback draft class since 1983. I am not joking! Minnesota has long suffered because of its quarterback concerns.
If any team deserves the right to take a big swing at a first-round quarterback, it has to be the Vikings.