PurplePTSD: Considering A “Dark Horse” Team For Kirk Cousins In 2022

Press release from the PurplePTSD:

LeeAnn Lowman

2022-02-10

One of the hottest off-season debates is where Kirk Cousins will play the 2022 season. There are a few more obvious teams floating around – Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and of course, staying in Skol Country. Cousins presents the Vikings with an expensive salary cap dilemma. By all accounts, he’s a solid game manager but he is due $45 million in 2022, and is he really the 45-million-dollar man? Trading Cousins frees up $35 million (there is $10 million in dead cap space) of much-needed rebuilding money. 

Despite being a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, Cousins can’t just successfully be plugged into any team. For it to be a good fit, there needs to be some considerations. Cousins will benefit from having a somewhat established offense. He does best when he is on a team with playmakers like Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. He has never been the most mobile quarterback and now at 33-years-old he definitely isn’t scrambling quickly to make plays happen.

Cousins is not a risk-taker and because of that, he does not turn the ball over often. He needs his supporting cast to make those big plays happen – he can deliver the ball accurately but they will have to get it downfield. Another plus is that Cousins is not a “drama queen” and this could provide stability and leadership to a team that needs it or to an offense that is in the midst of a rebuild.

One team that could benefit from Captain Kirk’s veteran leadership while breathing new life into Kirk’s aging career is the New York Giants. The Giants are working on overhauling their offense. This includes hiring staff away from the offensively-successful Buffalo Bills franchise. In the past few weeks, the Giants have hired a new head coach, Brian Daboll (previously the Bills offensive coordinator), and a new general manager, Joe Schoen, the prior Bills assistant GM. It is not a secret that the Giants are considering parting ways with the often injured and underperforming QB Daniel Jones. 

Cousins could fit in nicely to this rebuild. The addition of Cousins could give them the stability they need along with more veteran guidance for what will likely be a newer offensive unit. The Giants have a whopping 11 picks in the 2022 draft, including 2 in the first round. By picking up an established quarterback they can focus on filling in the many other needs they have. There are not many solid quarterback options in the 2022 draft and Cousins would be a strong option to help get them through a rebuild and buy them time at the QB position.

It is widely expected that the Giants will hire Mike Kafka, QB coach for Kansas City, as offensive coordinator. That potential hire leads some to believe that he is coming to develop Jones. However, it is also possible that he is being sought not just as a QB developer but as an offensive mastermind and/or to create success for a future rookie QB. He would have the opportunity to work with a veteran like Cousins while setting the offensive system up for success now and in the future. It seems like a perfect scenario to be able to draft a rookie QB in 2023 or 2024 when the options are better and have them develop behind a strong QB like Cousins. 

The Giants do have some cap space concerns; however, they have shown in the past that they might be willing to make deals with draft picks in 2023. They are also in a solid position with so many draft picks this year, it allows them to pick up new building blocks much cheaper than through free agency. With the Giants offense in a state of flux, a quarterback, even one who’s a bit overpaid, is attractive because his game management skills won’t lose you games.

Regardless of where Cousins ends up, this situation is one to keep an eye on during the offseason. 

This press release was produced by the PurplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.