6 mistakes the Vikings can not afford to make in 2024

Mistake No. 6

Passing on a quarterback in the draft

Even if Kirk Cousins agrees to return to the Vikings, they still face long-term questions at the quarterback position.

Cousins will be entering his age-36 season coming off a torn Achilles, and a succession plan could be what decides if Minnesota falls off or stays competitive in the years after Cousins.

It creates an interesting scenario with the No. 11 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

If the Vikings bring back Cousins, they could be tempted to dive into a class that scouts have salivated over for the past two years because of its depth.

But they could also see the quarterback they’ve been waiting for start to slip in the first 10 picks.

If that quarterback is there, Minnesota has to make a move.

It could lead to a missed opportunity to improve the roster in Cousins’s final years of his career, but it could lead to a better future in the same way the Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Love when Aaron Rodgers was still playing at an MVP level.

It won’t make some people happy, but the Vikings have to find a way to solve their quarterback issues in this year’s draft.