“I Love Playing with Him, He’s the Best:” Kirk Cousins Gets Support from Teammate
K. Joudry
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Some Vikings fans and writers look at Kirk Cousins as a dead-man walking.
Instead of getting another extension, Cousins saw his deal restructured so that the 2024 season now carries a whopping $28.5 million dead money charge. To be clear, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could certainly toss a new deal over to his QB, keeping him in town for several more years.
As of right now, though, the team is staring down a quarterback future with Nick Mullens and no one else. Mullens is the only QB on the roster beyond the 2023 season.
Starting center Garrett Bradbury – fresh off a three-year, $15.75 million deal – articulated his support for his QB1: “I love playing with him, he’s the best.” Bradbury’s belief is that Minnesota is fortunate to have Cousins, largely due to the passer’s brains and professionalism.
In his opening year with Kevin O’Connell, Kirk Cousins put together a great season (at least in my view). He led the team to a 13-4 record, easily the most wins he has ever had in a single season in his career. Completing 65.9% of his passes is a strong mark, especially when we remember his 29 TDs and 4547 passing yards.
More negative is the 14 INTs. Alas, if we want a Cousins who will take risks and pull off game-winning drives, then we’ll need to accept an extra pick or two. Gunning for the home run means some strikeouts will follow. Cost of doing business, folks.
My controversial NFL opinion – not that it makes one iota of difference in anyone’s life – is that wins are a valid QB stat. The last stop in our assessment of signal callers? By no means. A helpful way of measuring a QB’s effectiveness when we place it alongside the broader gamut of stats? Yes, of course.
Recently, Kevin O’Connell expressed excitement about seeing his QB get another season in the offense: “Kirk and I have had a ton of dialogue throughout the offseason just really in anticipation and excitement of his Year 2 in our offense […] I’m just excited to see him in Year 2.”
Similarly, co-owner Mark Wilf praised Kirk Cousins’ leadership and how the team is “looking for great things in ’23.” A united front from the owner and head coach.
Hovering over all of this discussion is the upcoming NFL Draft, which is now less than a week away. Can the team select someone they feel confident in starting in 2024? If so, then perhaps Cousins really is heading toward his final season in Minnesota. Let’s not forget, folks, that even before setting foot on the field Cousins has been consistent about his desire to finish off his career with the Vikings.
Part of the issue is that Cousins not only needs to be better than a young QB but that young QB and the cap savings that flow therefrom. Taking his team on a deep playoff run and – dare I say it? – a Super Bowl victory would certainly undermine the momentum for shifting to a young passer. Winning cures all for the beleaguered QB1.
The 2023 offseason has proven to be a consequential one for Minnesota, full of twists and turns. Nowhere is there more intrigue, perhaps, than the QB spot. After all, it’s easily the game’s most important position. The upcoming draft will give us a lot of clarity regarding what the future may hold for Minnesota’s QB position, just as Cousins’ play in 2023 will be similarly revealing.
Left up to just Bradbury, Minnesota would likely be committing to Cousins for years to come.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
