The Minnesota Vikings have not had the start to the season that they had hoped for. They are 1-4 through the first five weeks of the season. On top of that, superstar receiver Justin Jefferson was injured last week’s game and landed on injured reserve midweek which means he will miss at least the next four weeks. The Vikings cannot open the season 1-8 or 2-7 and hope to still salvage some sort of season. With Kirk Cousins’ impending contract situation and his age, the team could very well opt to trade the veteran to a quarterback-needy team and elect to go with someone younger. If they do, here are the top five destinations that Cousins could be headed to should he waive his no-trade clause.
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Kenny Pickett out of Pittsburgh last season. He didn’t get the start until midway through the year after taking over for Mitchell Trubisky. This season, the reins were given to him, and he hasn’t made the most of them. The Steelers are not likely to move on from Pickett, but Kirk Cousins would be a better fit for this offense than Pickett currently is.
New York Jets
The New York Jets season looked decimated after the loss of Aaron Rodgers just four snaps into his time with the team. The backup to Rodgers was failed first-round experiment Zach Wilson. Wilson has held the team together with tape, but he is not the long-term answer. He shouldn’t even be the short-term consideration for a team that built a Super Bowl-caliber roster around Rodgers. The addition of another veteran, if even for the remainder of the year, could put this team back on the trajectory for the playoffs.
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are currently running with former draft pick Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati as their starter. He hasn’t been terrible, but his numbers haven’t been anything to be impressed by either. The addition of Cousins to a roster like this would give Ridder the opportunity to learn under a veteran which would improve his chances for a resurgence to the top later in his career. The Falcons also have an offense with weapons that could be at Cousins’ disposal.
New England Patriots
In short, Mac Jones is not the answer in New England. The sooner the Patriots realize that and move on, the better overall the franchise will be. Behind Jones, they have Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham, both of whom could be but aren’t likely to be a long-term answer. Kirk Cousins could come into this franchise and give powerful veteran leadership to an offense full of young, raw talent.
Carolina Panthers
This is probably the most unlikely on the list seeing that this team is fully involved with rookie Bryce Young. However, it is also not a secret that the team is 0-5 and struggling through the first five weeks of the season. The addition of a cheap veteran could easily allow the Panthers to allow Young to grow without being the focal point of the misery that is happening in the season with the last winless team in the league.
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