Remember early March? Things were awfully bleak back then, and not just because things are always bleak in early March. The Minnesota Vikings were in the middle of what was being labeled as one of their more important offseasons in recent history, all because Kirk Cousins was no longer under contract.
With the 11th overall pick in a QB-heavy draft, there were a few paths in front of Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The obvious one – at the time, at least – felt like giving Cousins the big ol' contract that he was asking for and drafting around him, hoping to get the last few years of Cousins' prime before they had to hit the reset button. There were certainly worse plans around the league (and even in their own division, cough-Bears-cough).
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Of course, we all know how it played out. The Vikings raised some eyebrows by letting Cousins walk, which he did to the tune of $180 million in Atlanta. Countering that by trading up for QB4 and signing Sam Darnold felt like the coping mechanism of all coping mechanisms.
And yet, by the time Thanksgiving rolled around this year, absolutely no one was double-guessing the Vikings' decision to let him walk. That might be a testament to SAM MF'ing DARNOLD, but it's definitely a testament to how bad things are going over in Atlanta.
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins may not even last one season as the Atlanta Falcons starter
For those of you who don't have time to hate-watch the NFC South out of spite, here's a quick little spark notes recap of how it's gone: after holding onto a comfortable(ish) lead in the division through the first half of the season, the Falcons have lost their last three games – and four out of six – while Cousins looks absolutely washed. Frankly, the only reason more people haven't noticed yet is that Aaron Rodgers looks more washed.
Cousins has never shied away from interceptions, so maybe it shouldn't be a total surprise that he currently leads the league in them (13). But his four-pick game performance against the Chargers – at home, too – was eye-opening, and not just because he threw four.
He'll almost certainly set a career-high in picks this season and very likely could set it next weekend *in Minnesota.* Meanwhile, Sam Darnold is playing like an MVP candidate, which is just about the funniest sentence I could type in a blog about Kirk Cousins.
Who knows how the Darnold/J.J. McCarthy thing settles itself out, but right now, that feels less important than focusing on the fact that the Vikings absolutely made the right move to let Cousins leave. And sometimes, you just need to take a quick victory lap.