4 ways being in win-now mode changes the Vikings 2021 draft approach

Drafting an early-round quarterback isn’t likely

Many Vikings fans have been dreaming about the team landing a young quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft who can be that franchise signal-caller for the next decade.

Guys like Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance have been tossed around in circles and arguments have been made for how and why Minnesota should trade up to ensure they land one of them.

But the Vikings have to win now and adding an inexperienced rookie quarterback to the fray probably isn’t going to help them improve in 2021.

Sure, landing a dual-threat weapon like Lance or Fields would be amazing and it would give Minnesota a ton of hope for the future. But this just isn’t likely to happen when Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman are heading into a make-or-break season.

Zimmer has been the Vikings head coach since 2014 and Spielman has been in the team’s front office since 2007. If they don’t produce results in 2021, Minnesota’s owners may decide it is time to go in another direction with their head coach and general manager.

Zimmer and Spielman’s jobs are probably going to be on the line next season, so they aren’t going to put their fates in the hands of an inexperienced quarterback who has never taken a snap in the NFL.

Kirk Cousins will be the Vikings quarterback for the 2021 campaign. As much as fans love to rag on him, he’s been great in recent years and he is definitely not the reason they are losing games.

Spielman invested heavily in Minnesota’s current starting quarterback, so he’ll live and die with No. 8 this upcoming season instead of a rookie.