The Kirk Cousins to The Bucs Rumors Are Already Heating Up
K. Joudry
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Things can move quickly in our world. Shortly after Tom Brady officially announced his retirement, there was speculation about whether the Bucs would welcome Mr. Kirk Cousins.
Over at Vikings Territory, Aj Mansour noted that there are some odds out for bettors. The Athletic published a piece with a list of QBs who may be reasonable options for Tampa Bay. Here is what they had to say about Kirk Cousins to the Bucs:
Another veteran quarterback with a new coach and GM who might seek a new direction, Cousins is expensive ($35 million salary for 2022), but Minnesota could take on some of that to facilitate a trade. Wherein Brady was synonymous with postseason success, Cousins is synonymous with prolific passing in close losses — the Vikings went 9-8 and missed the playoffs, but all eight losses were by a single score, with Cousins throwing 14 touchdowns and three interceptions in those losses.
Licht has seen what Cousins can do in person — his “you like that?” breakout was a comeback against the Bucs from a 24-0 deficit in 2015, Licht’s second year as GM. Cousins has 32,593 career passing yards but only one career playoff win, so if the Bucs are trying to find another Stafford who might benefit from a change of scenery, Cousins appears to be that guy.
The Vikings went 8-9, not 9-8. Even still, the point remains that The Athletic adds some extra support to the rumors.
Fans who are interested in the financial end of things may find the recent piece on Over the Cap helpful. It outlines a variety of ways Tampa Bay may manipulate the cap following Brady’s retirement.
Of course, so much depends on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell. Do they believe that #8 is part of the solution? If so, the Kirk Cousins to the Bucs rumors don’t mean very much.
Forced to guess at this precise moment, I’d say the Vikings opt to extend Captain Kirk, doing so to not only give them stability at QB but also options at QB. They can lower his cap hit in 2022 and, ideally, put themselves in a position to either retain or move on from him in the future. It’s a difficult balance, and yet it’s one the new leadership will need to navigate.
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