You think Watson would be a net positive? You’re wrong.

If any fan-base knows how devastating trading too much for a player can be, you’d think it’d be Minnesota Vikings fans. The Vikings, after all, nearly single-handedly built the Dallas Cowboy’s ‘90’s dynasty when they traded for stud running back Herschel Walker. 

Don’t get me wrong, Houston Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson is not Walker, but the negative impact of trading away what becomes more and more of a King’s ransom each day, should make this topic a non-starter for the Vikings (who have a ton of holes to plug, with the quarterback spot not being one of them). 

Is Watson younger and better than Kirk Cousins? Yes. But, weren’t a ton of Cousins naysayers pointing out that the Vikings were paying him a ton of money simply to hand the ball off?

But yeah, let’s trade away a half-decade of first-round and second-round picks for a slight uptick in efficiency in a run-first and risk averse system, with an offensive line that is in perpetual disarray and a defense that could use some of those first-round picks before even trading away two young starters (ie Antjony Barr and Danielle Hunter).

If the Vikings could even trade Cousins and Danielle Hunter (and a first-and-third), which wouldn’t be the cost, they’d still be worse off as Hunter is arguably the best young edge in the league, and the Vikings need those picks.

Despite the line the Vikings offense was nearly elite in 2020. They could’ve been the league’s best unit if not for restrictions placed on it by Zimmer and Kubiak, restrictions that they may loosen for Watson. 

If they just loosened them for the highly accurate and efficient Cousins, I again have to point out that you’d be getter a handful of more touchdowns and maybe more yardage from the position in exchange for the future core of this team and a guy like Hunter. 

I can’t imagine that the Vikings actually want to do that. General manager Rick Spielman values picks over anything, and Zimmer loves using top picks on his defense even when there’s no reason to (how’s that Mike Hughes pick working out?). Do you think either would part with four-or-five first-rounders when they have the needs they do on defense? 

That’s all before the COVID cap kicks in, by the way (which’ll force teams like the Vikings to cut veterans and fill those gaps with draft picks). 

Stop this madness.

Watson is a great player but far too many teams want and need him. With 32-year-old former Detroit Lion Matthew Stafford costing two first-rounders? You could argue that Watson is worth triple that, and I wouldn’t be surprised if someone offers the Texans something they can’t resist. 

Let’s hope that the Vikings remember Walker and aren’t that team.  

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