Quarterbacks:
- Locks: Kirk Cousins, Trevor Siemian
- On the bubble: Kyle Sloter
As to nobody’s surprise, the Vikings will not be releasing Kirk Cousins. In fact, it’s likely the $84 million man (with incentives, of course) won’t see the field on Thursday night as he rests up for the opening game against the San Francisco 49ers.
What could go down is a final battle in a battle that many thought wouldn’t exist at the beginning of training camp. The Vikings coughed up a 2019 fifth-round pick to land Trevor Siemian, but haven’t gotten much of a return on a guy that was penned into their backup role after being acquired from Denver last March.
Despite Siemian’s struggles this offseason, Mike Zimmer said in a Sunday press conference that his status as the direct backup to Cousins is not in jeopardy, meaning he will probably make the team. That makes the bigger question whether Sloter can force the Vikings to keep three quarterbacks.
Sloter’s comeback performance against the Seahawks put an exclamation point on his August and if the Vikings choose to let him go, it’s unlikely that he will clear waivers. That makes Thursday especially important for Sloter as he plays for a potential job in Minnesota or somewhere else.