Derek Carr Situation Offers Important Reminders for Vikings Fans
K. Joudry
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Quite often, Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins get put into the same tier of NFL quarterbacks. These discussions permeate social media, but they find their way into sports journalism, as well.
An earlier piece on NFL.com actually puts Carr and Cousins side-by-side, coming in at 12th (Carr) and 13th (Cousins) in the Week 1 QB rankings. Mike Sando’s offseason QB evaluation for The Athletic had Carr at 12th and Cousins at 15th, suggesting they reside in a similar range (though, admittedly, he has them in different “tiers”). Arif Hasan sees a bit more of a range between the two, putting Cousins at 10th and Carr at 18th in his QB hierarchy from early December.
The broader point, folks, is that there is some overlap in their careers simply because they’re polarizing QBs who are good but not elite.
Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins, and a Very Different 2022
Most will be aware of the situation by now, but a brief recap. Carr is no longer starting for Las Vegas. In fact, his demotion has left him completely outside of the building; he’s not even showing up for practice.
Carr’s time in LV is coming to an end.
Going into 2022, both were playing on reasonably large contracts, but it was Carr’s that was more eye-popping for a distinct reason: the per-year average.
On average, Carr’s deal will pay him a touch below $40.5 million per season. Not bad, not bad at all. The issue is that very few guarantees exist beyond the current season. In fact, Las Vegas can move on with very little financial consequence: a measly $5.625 million in dead money for their 2023 budget.
Moving on from Cousins, in contrast, would be very difficult. Cutting Cousins would leave behind $48.75 million in 2023. In other words, there’s essentially zero chance Cousins gets cut. And, frankly, why would the team want to move on? True, the Week 17 performance was awful, but it has been a strong year overall. I, for one, have been very enthusiastic about clutch Cousins.
How did two QBs who are so commonly partnered end up on such wildly divergent paths? Derek Carr and Kirk Cousins are heading in opposite directions. Returning to Las Vegas seems like an impossibility for Carr; departing from Minnesota seems like an impossibility for Cousins.
Add in the fact that both teams went into the season with a new head coach who specializes in offensive football and the connections become even more pronounced, especially when we consider each team’s underperforming defense.
Perhaps the discrepancy simply comes down to coaching. There has been no shortage of criticism being directed at Josh McDaniels, someone who entered the HC position in Vegas with a lot of skepticism given how things went down in Denver.
O’Connell, though impressive, hasn’t been perfect. At times, Cousins seems overloaded with options at the line of scrimmage, leading to rushed snaps and/or an offense that’s out of sorts as the play takes off. Hopefully, another year in the O’Connell system will help to clean up those blemishes (Cousins has consistently dealt with different OCs).
I’ve also found myself wondering about the contracts and what they communicate. The massive guarantees from Minnesota suggest that the team’s leadership feels very confident Cousins can get the job done in the intermediate. Carr’s deal, in contrast, expresses very little confidence beyond the current year; somewhat ironically, he wasn’t even allowed to finish the season.
The Reminder(s)
The title promises some reminding, so I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer something. Take a look at what the Derek Carr situation reminds us:
- The QB/HC marriage is hugely important.
- Looking at a contract’s annual average isn’t super helpful.
- Kirk Cousins may be better than a lot of fans give him credit for.
- A 12-4 record dramatically alters our perception of a QB’s play.
- Stability at QB is to be coveted.
In the end, I think Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will look toward another extension with Cousins to help lower the 2023 cap hit, but that’s a discussion for a different day.
Instead, I’ll merely bring things back to the main direction of the piece. Carr and Cousins were in a similar spot in their careers when the season began. We can even establish some parallels between the teams as a whole. As we venture into 2023, though, Cousins and Carr are heading in opposite directions. For whatever it’s worth, my hope is that Carr goes somewhere else and finds a ton of success on and off the field.
Despite all of the doubt and criticism – some of which have come from yours truly – Cousins has risen to the challenge in 2022. As 2023 gets underway and the playoffs near, the hope is certainly that Cousins will continue entrenching himself as one of the better QBs in the NFL.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
