It is far from certain what Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins might do this offseason. Could a trade for his replacement be in the Vikings’ future?
Cousins is a free agent this offseason. Both sides have expressed interest in Cousins’ return. But they have not agreed to a new deal yet. And some around the league believe his departure is a real possibility.
Mike Sando of The Athletic relayed a discussion between a group of anonymous executives during which the idea of Cousins replacing Tua Tagovailoa on the Miami Dolphins came up.
“If you … sign Kirk, I’d want to make sure I felt comfortable about having him for three years from a health standpoint,” one exec said, per Sando on January 15. “I do think Tua works much better in a domed stadium where you know half your games are played in pristine conditions.”
That is an argument for the Vikings to reconsider committing to Cousins on the type of big-money, fully guaranteed contract he could command and for Tagovailoa in Minnesota.
Cousins just completed a one-year, $35 million contract. But he is on the Vikings’ books for $28.5 million next season even no matter what. Tagovailoa is in the final year of his $30.3 million rookie-scale contract and carries a $23.2 million cap hit next season on his fifth-year option. The Vikings are starting at $39.6 million in cap space, per Spotrac.
It is still not clear how much of an upgrade Tagovailoa would be. Health-wise, this past season was his first full slate of games since he entered the league. Injuries, and specifically concussions have been a big topic throughout that time.
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