Why the Vikings (probably) won’t be trading for Deshaun Watson

Risk of failure is too large for Zimmer and Spielman

After an impressive season in 2017 that resulted in the Vikings making it to the NFC Championship, the team hasn’t been able to experience the same amount of success since.

Instead, Minnesota has missed the playoffs in two of the last three years and last season, they finished with a losing record for the first time since 2014.

So time is running out for Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman to deliver the Vikings a championship. If Minnesota doesn’t make the playoffs in 2021, it’s very possible that both Zimmer and Spielman could be out of a job.

Most would assume that acquiring Deshaun Watson would automatically turn the Vikings into a contender and the jobs of the head coach and general manager would be more secure with a quarterback back like him starting under center.

But this is the same thought process Minnesota had during the 2018 offseason when they handed over a large amount of money to Kirk Cousins. Many figured Cousins would be the final piece to get the Vikings into the Super Bowl, but then the team didn’t even make the playoffs during his first season with the franchise.

This isn’t to compare Cousins’ abilities or upside to Watson’s, because it’s pretty obvious who the better quarterback currently is. But the fact that Minnesota very recently went through a situation in which they invested a bunch into a quarterback and the results didn’t turn out how they had envisioned is something that could deter them from trading for Watson.

6 free agents the Minnesota Vikings should avoid in 2021

When the 2021 free agency period begins in March, who are some of the players the Minnesota Vikings should avoid signing to their roster?

Just the fact that there is even a thought of the deal not working out for the Vikings is enough to scare Zimmer and Spielman away from pursuing a trade for Watson.