Vikings GM had big concern over retaining Kirk Cousins
Nov 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) sets to throw a pass in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
The Minnesota Vikings hired a new general manager in Kwesi Adofo-Mensah this offseason, and his recent comments about quarterback Kirk Cousins might not instill much confidence in Vikings fans.
The Vikings had an 8-9 record in 2021 and just missed out on a playoff spot, but they have plenty of talent returning on both sides of the ball.
Speaking to Jori Epstein of USA Today Sports in an article published on Friday, Adofo-Mensah did not seem too confident in his decision to retain Cousins.
“I’ll be frank,” Adofo-Mensah said. “The one asset where you get nervous about not burning it down is quarterback.”
While the Minnesota GM believes that Cousins is a “good quarterback,” especially after a 4,221-yard, 33-touchdown season in 2021, he acknowledged that Cousins is no Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes.
“(The Super Bowl) is more likely to win if you have that quarterback,” Adofo-Mensah said. “It’s very unlikely to have that quarterback.”
Cousins may not be as good as some of the seven active NFL quarterbacks who have won a Super Bowl (like Brady, Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson or Matthew Stafford), but aside from Deshaun Watson there were not many available upgrades at the position this offseason. A June report did link the Vikings to a former first-round draft pick, but he likely would not have been much of an upgrade if one at all.
Compared to some of the game’s top passers, the Cousin’s stats last season were solid. The 33-year-old finished with the ninth-most passing yards in the NFL, ahead of Rodgers, Wilson and Kyler Murray. Cousins also had the ninth-most touchdown passes, which bested Wilson, Murray and Derek Carr.
Perhaps a new offensive-minded head coach in Kevin O’Connell, who seems excited to work with his new quarterback, will help bring Cousin’s game to the elite level that Adofo-Mensah seeks.
