What is the value of Kirk Cousins and what would life be like without him?
By Luke Parrish
Finding the right team for Kirk Cousins
There is a good chance that there will be a number of suitors for Kirk Cousins if the Vikings make him available. The Indianapolis Colts seem less than committed to Carson Wentz after the way their season ended at the hands of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The issue with Indianapolis, though, is they do not have a first-round pick in 2022 because of the trade that gifted them Wentz, and it would be tough to imagine them giving up another first-rounder for a quarterback with zero winning pedigree.
New Orleans could be an option for Kirk, but they are in the same boat as the Vikings as far as the salary situation is concerned. They would be better off just taking Jameis Winston back on a one-year deal in free agency to save money and ride the defense into the playoffs.
The Giants, Dolphins, and Browns would be more realistic options as they have a need at quarterback and have not been afraid to make splashes in the offseason. With the Giants and Dolphins looking for their next head coach, the next regime may look for a proven veteran who would help Minnesota a ton.
If there were a reasonable guess as to where Kirk lands via trade, the Pittsburgh Steelers should be the answer. The Steelers have roughly $44 million in cap space and have a very good roster in place around the quarterback. If Ben Roethlisberger could get them into the playoffs, Kirk Cousins could as well.
Other teams to keep in mind would include the Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Football Team (ironic, I know). The Vikings should not have a problem finding a team that would want Kirk Cousins.
The only issue is finding a team that has the cap space and assets to make a trade possible. From there, the Vikings will have to sort out a plan at quarterback if Cousins is not on the roster. There are still a number of ways they could go, and that should excite some fans.