If Kirk Cousins ends up signing with another team this offseason, what is the Minnesota Vikings’ backup plan to find their starting quarterback for 2018?
It is pretty clear the Minnesota Vikings are going to make an attempt to sign quarterback Kirk Cousins during free agency this year. The Vikings have a need at the position, they have the money to spend on Cousins, and they have a returning roster full of players that helped them reach the NFC Championship last season.
However, there is no guarantee that the free-agent quarterback will actually end up with Minnesota this offseason. There are a few other teams that will be bidding for Cousins’ services and one of them could figure out how to lure him away from the Vikings.
So what happens if Minnesota is unable to sign the free-agent quarterback this offseason? What is their backup plan?
Well if the feathers haven’t been ruffled too much from the pursuit of Cousins, re-signing Teddy Bridgewater is probably the next route the Vikings would look to take.
Bridgewater seems as the most likely to return between him, Case Keenum, and Sam Bradford based on one important factor. Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer is one of Bridgewater’s biggest fans.
During Zimmer’s recent presser at the NFL Scouting Combine, the head coach expressed his admiration for the young quarterback.
"“This kid is a great competitor. He’s got the heart of a lion, a champion. He’s going to do everything he possibly can to be ready. I wouldn’t have dressed the guy if I didn’t think he was ready during the season. If we would have had to have him go in, I was comfortable in playing him.More from The Viking Age6 biggest draft steals in Minnesota Vikings historyFormer Vikings first-round pick could reportedly return to NFC NorthBears analyst has extremely embarrassing Kirk Cousins take6 Vikings who (maybe) won’t make the 53-man roster in 2023Predicting what the Vikings will do in the 2023 NFL Draft based on 2022I’m hopeful for Teddy, number one, that he has an outstanding career. He’s earned it. He’s deserved it. Hopefully it’s with me, but if not I wish him the best of luck.”"
Based on what he said about the Vikings’ other two free-agent quarterbacks (including the use of the word “degenerative” to describe Bradford’s knee), it sounds like Bridgewater is Zimmer’s preferred choice of the three.
Bridgewater would definitely be one of Minnesota’s cheaper options at quarterback. The young signal caller has an estimated market value of around $6 million per year and it has also been reported that he is looking to sign a shorter contract that will allow him to prove his value.
Next: 5 teams Teddy Bridgewater may end up with in 2018
If for some reason, the Vikings are unable to sign either Cousins or Bridgewater this offseason, then they would have to move on to Plan C in their search to find a starting quarterback. No one knows what this plan may entail, but Minnesota is hoping that no one has to ever find out.