4 reasons why the Vikings should trade Kirk Cousins in 2022
By Dean Jones
Vikings need to save money
One of the biggest stumbling blocks facing the Vikings this offseason is from a financial standpoint. According to Spotrac, the organization is almost $15 million over the cap, and one of the primary reasons for this is Kirk Cousins and his guaranteed deal.
This is the bed Minnesota made when they decided to extend Cousins. A decision made by those no longer with the franchise after Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer were both removed from their positions of power after another season without postseason football.
Cousins wasn’t terrible in 2021 by any means.
He did make the Pro Bowl, after all.
However, there remains some serious doubt about whether Cousins can not only lead the Vikings where they want to go, but also whether he is worth the substantial sum of money coming his way next time around.
Minnesota still has a talented roster capable of challenging. Although winning the division will be a significant challenge once again after Aaron Rodgers ended months of speculation by committing his future to the Green Bay Packers.
It’s therefore vital for the Vikings to keep their best players, and trading Cousins, freeing up $35 million or more, could be the only solution in pursuit of this objective.
The question comes down to this. Would the Vikings be willing to remove the likes of Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks, Adam Thielen, or even Dalvin Cook to accommodate Cousins and his whopping salary?
The answer should be no, in all honesty.