Just when the Minnesota Vikings appeared to be making some sort of surge, disaster struck in their Week 8 win over the rival Packers. Now, the club will be without quarterback Kirk Cousins for the rest of the 2023 season after the veteran pending free agent suffered a torn Achilles in the second half.
All indications in the hours since the injury and the severe diagnosis are that the Vikings won't make a move at Tuesday's NFL Trade Deadline to replace Cousins. Instead, it appears Minnesota will roll forward with rookie Jaren Hall.
Given that approach and the way that the Vikings and general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has handled the QB room this season, it seems that these team has real belief in Hall, who was a fifth-round pick out of BYU in April's draft. As noted by the Purple FTW! Podcast, the regime swiftly elevated him to Cousins' backup when Nick Mullens went on IR and have not made any additions since.
And the more you unpack the situation, the more it's clear that Hall is the Vikings ideal replacement for Kirk Cousins -- in more way than one.
Jaren Hall is the Vikings ideal Kirk Cousins replacement, whether results are good or bad
Going back to the faith that Adofo-Mensah and the Vikings regime has shown in Hall, they clearly like what the 25-year-old brings to the table. He's risen up the depth chart since the preseason even before the Cousins injury and all of the talk from head coach Kevin O'Connell and Co. has been positive.
He wasn't asked to do much when he came in late as relief for the Cousins injury, but did go 3-of-4 for 23 yards with two rushes for a one-yard loss. Even still, the organization at least has some inkling they found a diamond in the rough in the fifth round of the draft.
Considering that interpretation of Hall's value in the eyes of Minnesota, that's part one as to why he's the ideal replacement. With Cousins going down, the Vikings now get to see if they found a franchise quarterback with a Day 3 draft pick. If Hall goes out as the starter and balls out, that sets the Vikings up beautifully for a Justin Jefferson extension and to make aggressive moves to improve the roster to contend.
Then there is the flip side of that, the scenario in which Hall takes the reins of the offense and struggles. Should that end up being the reality of the situation, that gives the Vikings the opportunity to approach the offseason with carte blanche at quarterback. Cousins could be gone in free agency, they'll know Hall isn't the guy, and they can then pursue one of the 2024 draft's top quarterbacks, be that Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or otherwise.
No matter how this plays out, though, it's an advantageous long-term situation for the Vikings and the future of the franchise. Getting to explore the unknown commodity of Jaren Hall without having to question the position in the 2024 offseason without having seen the BYU product play makes him the ideal replacement for Cousins.