Packers should keep a close eye on Vikings and Kirk Cousins
No, not for the reason you may think. The Green Bay Packers shouldn’t want anything to do with Kirk Cousins on their team. They should, however, keep an eye on what happens with the Minnesota Vikings’ quarterback this offseason.
Minnesota hired Kevin O’Connell, formerly the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, as their new head coach this offseason and their new headman was very strategic in his wording to answers about Cousins’ future. He used words like “anticipating” Cousins to be the quarterback in 2022 and “know he’s under contract.”
Cousins’ numbers, as always, have looked great on paper since he was traded to the Vikings in 2018. As one of the highest-paid players in the entire NFL, he’s put up the raw stats that most quarterbacks only dream of–he threw for 4221 yards and 33 touchdowns in 2021. Unfortunately, it’s never correlated with victories for his teams, as he’s been exactly a .500 quarterback throughout his NFL career.
The Green Bay Packers should be very interested in what happens this offseason between the Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins.
The Vikings have been rumored to be looking to upgrade from Cousins which would severely impact the Packers in 2022 and beyond. Cousins has had some big games against Green Bay, but doesn’t seem to be able to position his team to win a lot of games in the big picture. If Minnesota is able to acquire someone like a Deshaun Watson it would go a long way to improving their chances of taking back the NFC North.
Debating the merits of Cousins’ quarterback play is mostly a fruitless adventure. Vikings’ fans point to his big numbers and apparently strong play from inside the pocket and rivals’ fans will point to the merely adequate records every team he’s been on has had. In the end, it’s safe to say that both sides are happy with Cousins as the quarterback of the Vikings.
If Minnesota were to upgrade, it would provide the Vikings with a significant boost to their championship hopes. And although the Packers have issues of their own to work out that will greatly impact their short and long-term future, keeping an eye on the happenings in Minnesota will also be worthwhile.