Former NFL scout predicts the futures of Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins

A former scout with the New York Jets, Daniel Kelly, believes the Minnesota Vikings will stick with Mike Zimmer and move on from Kirk Cousins.

Defeating the Chicago Bears in Sunday’s 2021 regular-season finale isn’t going to change any of the plans for the Minnesota Vikings during the next few weeks. Just like their fan base, the Vikings will be watching the 2021 playoffs from home.

But with Minnesota being left on the outside of the postseason for the third time in the last four years, big changes for the team are expected to be coming in the near future.

Two of the biggest decisions the Vikings will have to make during the 2022 offseason will have to do with the futures of head coach Mike Zimmer and quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Former NFL scout predicts what the Minnesota Vikings will do with Mike Zimmer and Kirk Cousins

When it comes to Zimmer and Cousins, the majority tends to agree that only one of them will return to Minnesota for the 2022 offseason.

According to a recent prediction from former New York Jets scout, Daniel Kelly, the Vikings will be sticking with their head coach and shipping their starting quarterback to an old friend.

Kelly believes Minnesota will retain Zimmer and then they will trade Cousins to the Denver Broncos. He thinks the Vikings will be able to land the Broncos’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and possibly another draft selection as well in exchange for the veteran quarterback.

Kelly’s biggest reason for thinking Cousins could be headed to Denver has to do with George Paton, the Broncos’ general manager. Paton spent more than a decade with Minnesota and he was in the team’s front office when the original deal was made in 2018 to bring Cousins to the Twin Cities.

With the connection to Paton, and Denver being in need of a new starting quarterback for the 2022 season, Cousins being sent to the Broncos is a very believable trade possibility.