Two moves the Minnesota Vikings absolutely cannot make during the 2024 offseason
Everyone is all-too-familiar with the Minnesota Vikings and the upcoming decisions with Kirk Cousins. That conversation has been ran through the wringer enough to the point where there's only threads left. But, just as the embers of conversation were dying out, The Athletic's Dane Brugler reignited the flames with his latest mock draft. Brugler has the Vikings […]
Everyone is all-too-familiar with the Minnesota Vikings and the upcoming decisions with Kirk Cousins. That conversation has been ran through the wringer enough to the point where there's only threads left.
But, just as the embers of conversation were dying out, The Athletic's Dane Brugler reignited the flames with his latest mock draft.
Brugler has the Vikings doubling down on the quarterback position, both in free agency and the draft. And they aren't small moves, either. They are moves that could either put the franchise on a competitive trajectory for the next decade or they could sink the Vikings for the foreseeable future.
7. Minnesota Vikings (from TEN)*: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Projected trade: Vikings send No. 11, No. 109 and a 2025 second-rounder to the Titans for No. 7
Bringing back Cousins and drafting McCarthy is the ideal outcome for the Vikings, as that would bridge the short-term with the long-term at the roster’s most important position. But with Denver, Las Vegas, New Orleans and maybe a few other teams potentially in the McCarthy market, it might require a trade up for Minnesota to nab the Michigan quarterback. – Dane Brugler, The Athletic
The Vikings cannot sign Kirk Cousins and move up in the first round to draft J.J. McCarthy
If the Vikings sign Cousins before March 13, they'll receive an additional $28.5 million in cap space that they can immediately use in free agency to shore up other needs. Well, it won't be that exact amount, as Cousins' Year One cap hit will eat into it a bit, but you get the overall point. Regardless, they could use the extra money to keep Danielle Hunter in Minnesota, bring in a top corner (think L'Jarius Sneed), or whatever else they think is best for the team.
But to sign Cousins and move up to take McCarthy is a move that will work against itself in the long run. In the short-term, it's not the greatest idea, either. In the short-term, the Vikings are spending a top-10 pick that they traded up to get on a guy that won't play for probably two years, at minimum. It wouldn't make much sense for the Vikings to sign Cousins to a one-year deal and the QB is smart when it comes to the business side of the NFL – it's doubtful he even takes a one-year deal.
And, that contract is going to have a ton of guarantees included, because that's how Cousins does business. So, if his play drops off a cliff due to the Achilles injury, the fact he's 35, or for whatever reason, the Vikings are probably going to be on the hook to eat some dead money or have a high-priced guy riding the bench.
Which in return could then affect the development plan for McCarthy. If the Vikings have to rush him onto the field before he's ready because of an ineffective Cousins, that could easily derail his career. Spending capital like this to move and get a QB will always have the option of potentially rushing their development present. The Vikings are easily asking to create their own headache in this scenario.
But, of course, Cousins could pick up right where he left off and have the Vikings in the playoffs for the life of his new deal. And McCarthy could learn and develop and hit the ground running like Jordan Love did in his first year as a full-time starter. That's obviously much easier said than done, though, and requires patience. The Vikings would have determine if that outcome is worth the roll of the dice.
Final word
One of these moves is fine, even if I'm not too keen on trading up and drafting McCarthy, anyway. But both moves don't make any sense, at all, even though Brugler states otherwise. It's quite the strategy to lay out ahead of a key free agency period that will play a big role in determining what the Vikings do in the draft.
