2018 Season Preview: How good can the Minnesota Vikings’ offense be?
By Adam Patrick
Is Kirk Cousins the missing piece?
For the past three seasons, Kirk Cousins spent his time trying to lead a Washington Redskins franchise to their first playoff win since 2005. Cousins got the Redskins to the postseason in 2015, but it resulted in a disappointing loss to the Green Bay Packers.
After the veteran quarterback finished his most recent season in Washington, he was preparing to hit free agency for the first time in his NFL career. Cousins was even considering re-signing with the Redskins this year, at least until the franchise made a move that showed their true feelings about the quarterback’s future with the team.
As Cousins was busy attending Super Bowl related events in Minnesota last January, conveniently, Washington struck up a deal to acquire Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs.
With their decision to trade for a new starting quarterback, Cousins knew then that he would be playing in a different uniform in 2018.
The timing of a the trade though was almost a blessing in disguise, as the free-agent quarterback took advantage of some his off time during Super Bowl events to explore the city of Minneapolis and the surrounding areas.
Related Story. 4 reasons for the Vikings to be excited about Kirk Cousins. light
Coming off a 13-3 season that ended with them in the NFC Championship, the Vikings were one of the few teams Cousins had interest in joining this year. When Minnesota made the quarterback an contract offer close to what he was looking for in March, the decision to join the Vikings became pretty easy to make.
With his wife and infant son, Cousins hopped on a plane and headed to Minnesota. What now seems like ages ago, the quarterback and the Vikings agreed on a deal that included a fully guaranteed amount of $84 million.
Now that he has had time to settle in with his new Minnesota teammates and coaches, the time has come for Cousins to prove his worth.
The Vikings are not looking for the quarterback to put the entire offense on his back like he did during his days with the Redskins. But they are expecting Cousins to resemble the the guy that is one of just two passers to throw for at least 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.
Minnesota could taste the purple and gold confetti last year they were so close to playing in the Super Bowl. With the addition of Cousins, the Vikings are doing their best to make sure that Vince Lombardi trophy remains well within their reach.