5 best decisions ever made by Vikings GM Rick Spielman

The acquisition and extension of Cousins

The Washington Football Team was indecisive and downright foolish to let Kirk Cousins exit the nation’s capital.

Since Cousins left two years ago, Washington ranks dead last in passing yards and passing touchdowns. During Cousins’ time as the team’s field general, Washington ranked sixth in passing yards and 10th in passing touchdowns. How’s that for a performance drop-off?

In the three seasons preceding Cousins’ arrival to Minnesota, the Vikings had a collective team passer rating of 95.3, which was good enough for eighth in the NFL.

So, that certainly was not poor. But with Cousins at the helm, the team’s passer rating has crept up to 101.5 which is the fourth-best in the business. In this metric, the Vikings only trail the Saints, Kansas City Chiefs, and Seattle Seahawks during the last two seasons.

Cousins was expensive, but his acquisition and 2020 extension to the contract have been worth it thanks to the help of Rick Spielman.