The Minnesota Vikings could have a quarterback quandary on their hands. Their starter for the last six seasons, Kirk Cousins, is set to hit free agency in a few weeks. Will they be able to afford to re-sign him?
Unable to place the franchise tag on him, reports have surfaced that Cousins will not be accepting any one-year deals from the Vikings. Do they want to commit long-term to a quarterback who will be 36 years old when the 2024 regular season begins and is coming off a serious Achilles injury?
Given how Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall performed in place of him, the Vikings would likely seriously consider bringing Cousins back at whatever price he sets. But, it sounds like the team is planning on going in another direction.
According to Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune, during an appearance with KFAN’s Paul Allen this week, he revealed the Vikings’ plans for the 2024 NFL Draft. If the opportunity presented itself to make a move up the draft board, they would jump at it.
“If they’re going to take one, it’s going to be someone we love or we’re not doing it. If you have to give up a couple first-round picks for future years, I don’t think they’d bat an eye at that,” Goessling said.
The Vikings are currently slated to pick at No. 11. Instead of testing their luck and seeing if one of the top prospects falls to them, they are inclined to make a trade and put themselves in position to select one of the top quarterback prospects.
Caleb Williams and Drake Maye are considered the consensus top two selections, but reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels is also in the mix. All three would be great in Minnesota as a long-term building block along with wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
Making a splash like this wouldn’t be out of the norm for the Vikings, either. They reportedly tried trading up to select Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft. An offer of several first-round picks was made but turned down as the Indianapolis Colts selected him fourth overall.