Chris Simms lights up the Vikings over letting Kirk Cousins sign with Falcons
So far, Kirk Cousins' Minnesota departure has been the biggest move of the offseason. After spending six successful (statistically, at least) seasons in Minnesota, Cousins signed a four-year deal in Atlanta for up to $180 million.
And while the Vikings certainly have a few years of rebuilding ahead of them, many saw the move to avoid giving a 35-year old quarterback coming off a serious achilles injury close to $200 million as a prudent one. A lot of Minnesota's core was getting up there, NFL-age wise, and moving away from players before they're obviously in decline has proven, more often than not, to be the right decision.
NBC Sports NFL analyst Chris Simms, however, doesn't buy it. Simms – who, for better or worse, always gives his takes with conviction – jumped on Twitter to let it be known how unimpressed he was with Minnesota's attempt to keep Cousins through the rest of his career.
Simms rips Vikings for "letting Cousins out the door"
The more and more I think about it, the more I ask what the hell the Vikings were thinking letting Kirk Cousins out the door. A top 10-12 QB over a few million?? To start over at the most important position with no guarantee at drafting one of top guys??
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) March 13, 2024
It's certainly a take! And frankly, there are probably a few Vikings fans that feel the same way. Simms' point on the draft doesn't make quite as much sense though: Minnesota has the 11th pick in this year's draft, and while they only have two Top-100 picks this year (with the other one being 42 overall), they're almost definitely within shouting distance of the QB3-4 range, and are close enough to the top of the draft to trade up if they wanted to get a little nuts.
Plenty of people felt compelled to respond, pointing out that a Cousins-Minnesota fit didn't actually make quite as much sense as it once did.
I think it may appear that way, but don’t think it has much to do with money. It’s all about the “commitment” in the structure and control.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 13, 2024
It’s a gutsy move, but the Vikings have decided to let go of security in search of freedom. QB is the only position where teams consistently pay top of the market for average to above-average play. The safe route wont get you far in a league where everyone is chasing Mahomes.
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) March 13, 2024
Counterpoint: A 36-year-old coming off an Achilles tear who is likely not good enough to win a Super Bowl based on everything we've seen in his career probably isn't worth $90M guaranteed at this point.
— Christian Williams (@CWilliamsNFL) March 13, 2024
A reset always felt right for Minnesota. https://t.co/EKp4xa4yB7
Chris Simms vs. The Rest of Twitter: a tale as old as time.