The Minnesota Vikings expect Kirk Cousins to be their starter in 2023, but who are some quarterbacks they could trade for to be a long-term option?
Since Kirk Cousins arrived in 2018, the Minnesota Vikings have been set at quarterback. In five seasons, Cousins has thrown for 4,000 yards four times and 30 or more touchdowns three times. His game took another step last season, orchestrating eight fourth-quarter comebacks and leading the Vikings to their first NFC North title since 2017.
With a resume like this, it’s not surprising that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah says he expects Cousins to return as the starting quarterback in 2023. But for all the numbers thrown around when discussing Cousins, the number fans should be concerned about is 35.
Cousins will turn 35 years old next August and has a cap hit of $36.25 million. While fans could point to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers as quarterbacks who have bucked the age curve, there are several examples of quarterbacks that have fallen off the cliff, such as Russell Wilson (34 years old) and Matt Ryan (37 years old).
With this in mind, the Vikings need to start thinking about the future at quarterback. With just four picks in the upcoming draft, selecting one of the top signal callers in this year’s draft appears unlikely but acquiring a young quarterback via trade could allow the Vikings to throw a dart at landing their quarterback of the future.
So who could the Vikings be after? Let’s take a look at five quarterbacks that could be available on the trade market.