Questions Answered: The Vikings Fancy New Report Card, Jamel Dean, Cousins in 2023
Dustin Baker
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The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by PurplePTSD. Today is the March 1st edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: The Vikings Fancy New Report Card, Jamel Dean, Cousins in 2023
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Does this Vikings new report card mean anything?
A: Well, of course. The NFLPA surveyed existing NFL players and asked for grades among these categories:
- Treatment of families
- Good service/nutrition
- Weight room
- Strength coaches
- Training room
- Training staff
- Locker room
- Team travel
The Vikings ranked tops in the NFL for the first-ever “team grades,” with the Miami Dolphins and Raiders placing two and three. Your favorite team received an A+.
Minnesota is the place to be for facilities, families, coaching, and generalized accommodations, and that cannot be bad news with free agency less than two weeks away.
Q: Is cornerback Jamel Dean a realistic free-agent target for the Vikings?
A: Yes, Dean is a realistic option, but he’ll be expensive.
CBS Sports actually linked Dean to the Vikings according to roster need and fit. The Vikings have five cornerbacks associated with the roster as of March 1st — Andrew Booth, Cameron Dantzler, Akayleb Evans, Tay Gowan, and Kalon Barnes. While the group could blossom into something promising, it lacks bonafide depth heading into free agency.
Dean will cost between $15 and $18 million per season, so it’s up to the Vikings to decide if he’s worth it. But make no mistake, the Vikings must find a tried-and-true CB1 somewhere.
Q: If the Vikings are truly “all or nothing” with Cousins’ contract extension, which side do you support?
A: In a video posted to the Vikings team website last weekend, NFL Network‘s Tom Pelissero explained, “I would not anticipate that there’s another one-year extension [for Cousins]. Either the Vikings and Kirk Cousins do a long-term extension that locks him up as their franchise quarterback, or potentially they keep their options open and let Cousins play out this existing deal.”
And that thickened the plot.
Most Vikings fans believed Cousins could be on deck for another extra-year extension, but if Pelissero is correct, it’s either let the contract play out or attach Cousins to the roster for the next 3+ years.
Given this choice, we’d advocate letting the contract play out, with a plan to revisit an extension in 2024 if Cousins and the Vikings thrive in 2023.
Cousins turns 35 this summer and is closer to the end than the beginning. It’s time to at least explore next steps at QB1, especially if that involves grooming a rookie.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.