3 quarterback trades that tell us the value of Kirk Cousins
By Luke Parrish
Trade No. 1
Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts
The Colts were desperate for a quarterback after Philip Rivers retired following the 2020 season. That desperation led them to trade a 2022 first-round pick and a 2021 third-round pick in exchange for Carson Wentz after he lost his job to Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia.
Early in his career, Wentz was an exciting gunslinger that played an instrumental role in winning his team a Super Bowl despite missing the playoffs with an injury. Even after a bad season in 2020, the Colts gave up a conditional draft pick that wound up being a first-rounder in the upcoming draft.
Wentz did not play up to that value this season, nor did it do the Colts any favors. They took a step back, missed the playoffs, and got their worst performance out of Wentz in a must-win game.
With a playoff berth on the line, Wentz lost a very winnable game at the hands of the league-worst Jacksonville Jaguars and cost his team a spot in the playoffs. If that sounds familiar, welcome to the Kirk Cousins parade.
Cousins, while not always his fault, has failed to get the Vikings beyond the Divisional Round in the playoffs and has only earned one trip in four seasons. He has lost so many should-be wins at the hands of backup quarterbacks and that should be enough to make fans worry.
If the Eagles could get two high draft picks for a struggling Wentz, the Vikings could get a very nice return for Kirk.