By the end of this month, that will have changed since Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell will be among several players at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. We ought to know a lot more clearly by the end of February or the beginning of March regarding Kirk Cousins’ future in Minnesota or where he will receive compensation in free agency.
Adofo-Mensah must, at the very least, search outside of Cousins for his next franchise quarterback, and he must do so quickly, if not immediately. The Vikings have the 11th pick in the NFL Draft following a 7–10 campaign. Are they going to stay there? Will they advance? These four quarterbacks could be selected by Minnesota in the draft.
DRAKE MAYE
The Vikings will have advanced in the draft to choose Drake Maye if they do. The former standout quarterback from North Carolina is regarded as one of the top three picks in the NFL Draft. In 2022, he threw for 38 touchdowns; this season, he has 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. With the Tar Heels, he also amassed over 1,200 yards and 16 touchdowns by running
The Vikings will have moved on from Cousins if Maye joins them in Minnesota, where he will almost certainly start in 2024.
Daniel Jayden
As with Maye, the Vikings would have to jump up from No. 11 in the draft to choose Jayden Daniels, who would almost certainly start on Opening Day in Minnesota in 2024. With 40 touchdown passes and only four interceptions this season, the former LSU standout earned the Heisman Trophy. He added 10 touchdowns and more than 1,100 yards of running. The Vikings may gain a talented athlete at the most crucial position on the field with the dual-threat quarterback.
J.J. MCCARTHY
J.J. McCarthy just finished guiding Michigan to a national championship in the College Football Playoffs. The Vikings will probably select McCarthy as the starting quarterback when his contract expires and bring Cousins back in free agency if they select him in the NFL Draft. McCarthy is a winner; while at Michigan, he ran for ten more touchdowns and completed 49 career touchdown passes. This season, he passed for 2,991 yards and 22 touchdowns in an offense that saw the Wolverines favor running the ball.
Michael Penix Jr.
Another situation where, had he moved to Minnesota, Michael Penix Jr. would probably pick up skills on the job with Cousins back in the starting lineup. Penix attended Indiana University for his first two years of college before moving to Washington two years ago. In addition to leading the country in passing yards this season with over 4,900, he guided the Huskies to the national championship game. He passed for over 9,500 yards, 67 touchdowns, and 19 interceptions in his two seasons at Washington. Although the lefty is explosive, it is unclear if the NFL will be a good fit for his style of play.
Bo Nix, who began his career at Auburn before moving to Oregon, should not be overlooked. Between the Tigers and Ducks, he ran for 38 additional touchdowns and finished his career with 113 passing touchdowns and just 26 interceptions.
While discussing the future is exciting, we won’t know anything until the Vikings make a decision regarding Cousins.
