Are the Bucs a Fit for Kirk Cousins?
Ted Schwerzler
|
The team continuing to be linked most to Minnesota for Kirk Cousins has been the San Francisco 49ers. While Kyle Shanahan may have interest in the veteran signal-caller, another spot has opened up in the wake of Tom Brady’s departure. Should the Vikings call the Tampa Bay Bucs in hopes of providing Tom Brady’s replacement?
Last season was hardly anything to write home about for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sure, Tom Brady flipped his retirement decision, but he was returning to a flawed team. Yes, he started all 17 games of the season, but the NFC South was among the worst divisions in the league, and the Buccaneers finished with just an 8-9 record. Winning the division allowed them to host a playoff game, but the Dallas Cowboys emerged victorious.
There should be plenty of turnover expected for Tampa Bay in 2023. Not only is Brady gone, but there are plenty of areas the team needs to get better. Wide receiver options were limited and aging at times, the tight end position was not good, and running back was a question plenty often.
Tampa Bay could decide they already have their quarterback of the future in the building. Kyle Trask was drafted from Florida in the 2nd round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He threw just nine passes last season, and while that’s not unexpected given he was behind Brady, there was already a long developmental arc in front of him coming out of college.
If Tampa Bay decides to go the route of a stopgap veteran, maybe Kirk Cousins has some allure to them. He is currently playing in the final year of his deal with Minnesota, although an extension could change his cap number for the year ahead. He will only be 35 years old for the 2023 season, and if the Buccaneers want a bit more stability, he could be a long-term answer.
For the Vikings, the question has always been how much they want to tie themselves to Cousins’ cap number. It’s unlikely that whoever would replace Cousins under center would immediately be a better fit, but the organization would have additional flexibility to improve other parts of the roster. Piecing Cousins out for nothing isn’t really the goal, but finding a taker to reallocate funds is an understandable goal.
As a whole, it remains unlikely that the Vikings find a taker for Cousins. On top of getting little in return, they probably aren’t going to convince someone else to take on such a substantial amount of cap space. If Cousins does return to Minnesota, he will need to assume a substantial part of the responsibility when it comes to winning. Cousins did plenty of that this year for the Vikings as he overcame a terrible defense. Betting on that again in the season ahead seems like a poor choice.
This offseason could certainly be a big one for new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. As he got his feet wet last year, he will need to orchestrate a rebuild that keeps his team competitive without blowing it up. Justin Jefferson is going to command a capable quarterback being available to him. Deciding on whether that is Cousins, and at what cost, remains the primary focus.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.