3 quarterback trades that tell us the value of Kirk Cousins
By Luke Parrish
Trade No. 2
Sam Darnold traded to the Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were hoping to make a splash when they acquired Sam Darnold last April, but that has since backfired. Darnold could not even hang on to his starting job when he was healthy and the Panthers were left with a revolving door at quarterback.
Carolina was able to get Darnold from the Jets as New York prepared for Zach Wilson in the draft, but that did not stop the Panthers from paying a huge sum to go get their guy. They sent the Jets a second, fourth, and sixth-round pick in exchange for Darnold.
There was a bit of an upside incentive with Darnold, given that he was a former top-3 pick with the traits to be a high-level starter in the NFL. However, it has been pretty clear that he is not that player, nor will he ever reach that level.
Carolina had no reason to give up as many picks as they did, but once again, that just shows how teams value the quarterback position. If you take this as proof that the Vikings should not trade Cousins because teams value good quarterbacks, let me assure you that I understand.
Trading Kirk would set this team back for now, but the value they could receive would be worth the risk. He is immensely better than Sam Darnold, a quarterback that fetched three draft picks.