As we look to the Bears game, the thoughts are that the Vikings should handle their business. The Randy Moss news is sad to hear but it is encouraging to know he is on the mend and battling. All the prayers for Randy Moss!

Minnesota Vikings News and Links

Red Pen Meetings Helping Kevin O’Connell & Sam Darnold Steer Offense

Before Vikings offensive plays become highlights, they pass the red pen hurdle.

As every game week approaches its conclusion, Head Coach Kevin O’Connell meets with Vikings quarterbacks.

Sam Darnold, the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Month for September and Player of the Week for Week 14, has first right of refusal.

O’Connell loves drawing things up, using concepts and applying players’ abilities to attack defenses, but he hates having something on his game-day call sheet that the QB is not looking forward to executing.

“It’s a surgical process leading into it. It’s making sure Sam feels total comfort,” O’Connell said. “We haven’t had many plays, but we’ve had a few where the red pens come out, and it doesn’t get called because, you know, he doesn’t like the play. And we’ve got plenty of them, so every week, I’m hoping there’s more and more. Hey, let’s get rid of them. Makes it easier to call the game.”

He’s encouraged Darnold, who has thrown 28 touchdowns against 10 interceptions in his first season with the Vikings, to speak up and convey if he doesn’t like something.

“You know, there’s not a lot of times I’m going to tell him to take a play out, but when I do feel uncomfortable with a play, I’ll definitely let him know,” Darnold said. “But yeah, that doesn’t happen very often.”

O’Connell said there could be a variety of factors to why a play might get slashed, including previous experience against an opponent or with a similar concept.

“So what do we do as coaches? We try to dress it up and call it something different and sneak it around two weeks later. ‘Maybe he’ll forget,’ “ O’Connell quipped. “And then right about the time he recognizes what we did, ‘I don’t really like that one.’ It could be a variety of different things, and maybe it’s just, some hitters at some baseball stadiums, you know, have the batter’s eye. It hits them differently, and they hit really well at Petco Park or wherever it is. I would equate it to that.

“Some plays, as great as we may feel that the concept is or, ‘Hey, this is attacking everything we think we may see,’ it doesn’t hit his brain; it doesn’t hit his vision. So why call it? It will just be coaching it up on Monday and wishing we didn’t call it,” O’Connell added. “We’ve got plenty of plays and great players to get activated and involved. So, that’s the most important thing for me as I never want to call a play the quarterback doesn’t feel really excited about when it comes into their headset. It’s bad enough they have to hear my voice the whole game, but to hear my voice with a play they don’t like, that doesn’t sound very fun.”

Now, the Vikings (11-2) will host the Bears (4-9) on Monday Night Football to help close Week 15.

“During the game, it’s the dynamic of the coach-quarterback system with [quarterbacks coach] Josh [McCown] and [assistant quarterbacks coach] Grant [Udinski] with him on the sidelines, and then ultimately, the postgame of finding, uncovering every stone,” O’Connell said. “Just make sure that, ‘Hey, we’re using every 60-minute opportunity for Sam to maximize it, but then how do we just take it a little further, a little bit more comfort, clarity, and then make sure we all understand Sam is wildly talented.

“He’s making some unbelievable big-time throws and plays, and I think as he continues to ascend and get more comfortable, I don’t — defenses are going to try to do things every week to make him uncomfortable,” O’Connell added. “But where he’s at in his season and in this system, I have a ton of confidence that Sam is just going to continue onward and upward.”

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NFL Expert Picks: Vikings Favored in ‘MNF’ Showdown with Bears

Vikings 33, Bears 17 – Pete Prisco, CBS Sports

The Bears are out on the road for a second straight week after getting blasted by the 49ers. They didn’t play well. Minnesota is rolling. Sam Darnold is playing at a high level, which I think will continue here. The Vikings will throw a ton of looks at Caleb Williams, which will lead to turnovers. It’s ugly.

Vikings 28, Bears 17 – Staff, Bleacher Report

So much for the interim head coach bump. The San Francisco 49ers annihilated the Chicago Bears last week. The Bears trailed for about 57 minutes of that game, and their defense may be headed toward regression after defensive-minded Head Coach Matt Eberflus’ dismissal.

After showing some improvement [in Week 12 against the Vikings] following the dismissal of Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron, the Bears offense is once again trending in the wrong direction.

The Vikings had the first look at the Bears offense with Interim Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown calling the plays. Our panel thinks that will benefit Minnesota in this second matchup as Chicago looks primed for a late-season collapse. [Brown has been promoted to Interim Head Coach].

“I’m not the only one who feels like things could get ugly on Monday Night Football, right? This one feels like a classic ‘don’t overthink it’ situation for me,” Michelino said. “The Vikings continue to hum along beating inferior opponents and very quietly are tied for the second-best record in the NFC. This is in large part thanks to Sam Darnold’s heroics and CPOTY-worthy performance this season (despite his ineligibility) after throwing for five TDs last week.

“In almost perfect contrast, the Bears short-term outlook is bleak, and they’ve yet to win a game on the road this year, having just gotten blown out by the Niners,” Michelino added. “Caleb Williams is in a can’t-win spot and despite playing well when facing the Vikings a few weeks back, things have changed for the worse since then. Yes, this is a big number in a division matchup, but Minnesota is a quality team and should have its way with the Bears. I think this is an easy double-digit win.”

Vikings 34, Bears 21 – Bill Bender, Sporting News

Vikings 30, Bears 14 – Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

The Bears offense is impossible to trust around Caleb Williams, as it’s been a mixed bag all season long no matter who’s calling the plays. The Vikings have a clear, aggressive passing identity, and [Head Coach] Kevin O’Connell is rolling with Sam Darnold executing with his wide receivers. The Vikings keep romping to further bury a lost division foe in prime time.

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Justin Jefferson: Whether They Take Me Out of The Game or Not, The Plan Is To Dominate

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Amid Darnold heater, signs still point to J.J. McCarthy as Vikings’ 2025 QB

Sam Darnold has been playing like an MVP candidate lately. He was just named the NFC offensive player of the week after shredding the Falcons’ defense for 347 yards and five touchdowns on Sunday. His performance is a big reason why the 11-2 Vikings look like legitimate Super Bowl contenders.

That’s led to renewed discussion this week about Minnesota’s 2025 quarterback situation. How could they just let Darnold, who is set to hit free agency, walk out the door in the spring?

While it’s become a more fascinating decision than anyone may have anticipated, all of the signs still point to Darnold leaving and J.J. McCarthy being the Vikings’ QB next year. Why? Because that’s been the plan all along — and because GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t seem like the kind of person who’s going to stray from a plan that’s been carefully set in place, no matter how loud the outside noise gets.

McCarthy having cap hits between $5-7 million over the next three years gives the Vikings all kinds of flexibility. They’ve got Justin Jefferson, Christian Darrisaw, Jonathan Greenard, Brian O’Neill, and T.J. Hockenson signed to expensive multi-year deals. They have an estimated $63 million in effective cap space next season, which will be needed to address weaknesses in free agency and potentially re-sign players like Byron Murphy Jr., Camryn Bynum, and Dalton Risner, among other in-house UFAs.

Bringing back Darnold on the one-year franchise tag (which would cost around $41 million) is an interesting idea in theory, but that would leave the Vikings with minimal cap space for other moves. Signing him to a multi-year deal like the one he’ll command on the open market would block McCarthy from getting a chance to prove himself as their starter while he’s still on the cheap contract.

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NFL Week 15 roundtable: Bills-Lions, Sam Darnold’s Vikings future, Eagles drama

The NFL inadvertently gave us a gift with the Buffalo Bills visiting the Detroit Lions in Week 15.

This game won’t lack oomph just because both teams are playoff-bound already. The Lions don’t want to loosen their grip on the NFC’s top seed, much less the NFC North lead. And last week’s shootout loss in Los Angeles is more than enough to wake the Bills up.

Sam Darnold is playing like an MVP as the Bears come to Minnesota on Monday night. He’s on a one-year deal with the Vikings. Do you envision him coming back with J.J. McCarthy in the fold? What kind of money could this version of Darnold command on the open market?

Keefer: If I’m Minnesota, I’m working to keep Darnold. He’s just 27, remember, and the Vikings are playing about as well as any team in the league not named the Lions. Why not give him a chance to stay? To keep chasing a championship? There’s no guarantee McCarthy becomes The Guy, and rushing him into the lineup with a team that’s clearly ready to compete for a Super Bowl could backfire tremendously. But Darnold won’t come cheap. It wouldn’t surprise me if QB-needy teams — in a draft year light on star power at the position — are offering deals north of $40 million per season for Darnold. Or more. In their minds, he’s a much better bet than taking a rookie in this year’s class.

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Tom Brady settles the Justin Jefferson vs. Ja’Marr Chase debate

Tom Brady never needed elite wide receivers to dominant during his reign as the best quarterback on the planet, but if he could play with one receiver right now he would pick none other than Minnesota Vikings mega star Justin Jefferson.

“A couple tough choices out there. I know Ja’Marr Chase, what year he’s having, but ‘m taking Justin Jefferson,” said Brady, answering a question a from a fan.

“He can do everything from any spot on the field. He goes deep, he goes short, catch the ball, catch-and-run, touchdowns, third downs, he’s a ridiculous player. He reminds me so much of my former teammate and Viking, Randy moss. If it comes down to choosing only one, he would be the one right now.”

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Brian Asamoah Delivering Pulse & Punch for Vikings Special Teams

You can always bank on Brian Asamoah II cranking the boombox in the locker room.

Likewise, you can count on Asamoah handling his business on Vikings special teams units, slapping opponents as hard as “Crossed Out,” a hit track by Future and Metro Boomin that is one of his Friday picks.

“I just go out there and do my job,” offered Asamoah after lowering the volume, “and people follow.”

He’s done it again and again, and therefore gained the trust and esteem of teammates and coaches.

“You’re gonna hear him,” rookie special teams standout Bo Richter shared. “You’re gonna hear him talking about it, and he’s being about it at the same time. He’s a guy that you can trust to do the same thing every day. When he’s about it, he’s gonna be about it all the time. That’s the biggest thing.”

It was more evidence that Asamoah, 24, entrenched in his third NFL season, is finding his niche.

“Any time I get to step out on those white lines, man, it’s an honor because a lot of people don’t get that opportunity,” Asamoah remarked. “So I’m just trying to maximize every opportunity I get, which right now is special teams. I’m making the most of it and going out there and trying to dominate every time.”

Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels said Asamoah “continues to assert himself as the leader of the pack. I asked our group several weeks ago, like, ‘Who’s the true pulse of the unit?’ “

Third-year safety Theo Jackson has played a team-high 256 snaps on special teams. Kamu Grugier-Hill, a 43-game starter at linebacker in his nine-season career, has logged 251. Asamoah is next at 237 (69.7%), and making his case as a doubly important Viking, amping up teammates with his voice and play style.

Take for instance, in Minnesota’s first home game in almost one month (Dec. 1 against Arizona), he hustled more than half the length of the field to square up with Cardinals punt returner Greg Dortch and make a solid solo tackle in the open field. It saved a 7-yard return from becoming potentially worse.

One game before that, Asamoah clutched onto the football after Jerry Tillery’s giant left mitt blocked a field goal attempt by Bears kicker Cairo Santos. His alertness shifted into higher gear on the runback – Asamoah went left, cut right, changed speeds, started to roll, stopped and weaved back to his left toward the painted “C” logo at midfield. He made at least five skill position-esque moves during the 22-yard return.

“Why are you trying to cut back?!” Dallas Turner shrieked at Asamoah on the sideline afterwards.

“YOU ARE A LINEBACKER!”

In the calmest, direct-est tone, Asamoah quipped, “No, I’m a running back.”

The nucleus of Minnesota’s special teams of course includes team captains Andrew DePaola, C.J. Ham and Joshua Metellus. Also, Trent Sherfield, Sr., is deserving of mention – he’s an elite gunner on the punt unit and has been receiving votes for the Pro Bowl.

But Asamoah’s vibration is irrefutable – and pronounced considering his journey.

Near the conclusion of his rookie season, Asamoah received 20-plus snaps on defense in three consecutive games. He produced, too, with 14 tackles and one forced fumble and recovery. But that was then, and this is now, and Asamoah hasn’t played more than a handful of defensive snaps in a meaningful scenario since logging 14 in Week 2 at Philadelphia last year. He’s played on defense in two games this season – both occasions happened with the Vikings convincingly ahead of Houston (13 snaps) and Atlanta (11).

No matter, Asamoah’s focus has strengthened.

“You’ve got to enjoy where your feet are at and make the most of the opportunities because they don’t come often,” Asamoah reflected. “When you get that op, you’ve got to maximize it and be ready for it.”

The performances correspond with Asamoah’s growth as a leader.

When “Voice of the Vikings” Paul Allen broached to Kevin O’Connell in this week’s X’s and O’s chat that “ancillary pieces” are embracing roles, Allen led with Asamoah – for the above reasons; he’s jumping out.

In response, O’Connell waxed eloquently about the team’s 2022 third-round draft pick.

“He has really come into his own,” O’Connell told Allen. “Matt Daniels has this expression, he calls them ‘Red Dots’ – the guys that you’re highlighting on your call sheet, the opposing teams are highlighting in the kicking-game phase [and] that you better have an answer for; you better have an understanding of where that guy is. And I think B.A. has become one of those players within our organization.

“The way he’s thriving in all four phases, what he does week in and week out,” he added. “He’s taken on a little bit more of a leadership role. You can feel the way he prepares. You can feel him taking that next step and understanding that every single Sunday he’s going to impact the game one way or another.”

That confidence and maturity is thematic throughout Asamoah’s season.

“Obviously, it goes much deeper than just talking about it,” Daniels remarked. “We talk about, all the time, how there’s no sound on the tape so you can talk good and say all this and that, but until you put it on tape, none of that truly matters. And so that’s what he’s been doing on a consistent basis.

“I’m just so appreciative of what he’s doing from a practice standpoint,” Daniels added, noting Asamoah’s physical presence matches the unit’s toughness. “And you can see that practice execution turning into game reality, and that’s the beauty of it as a coach … you work so hard from a practice standpoint to see all of that – everything that you put into it during the week — show up on game day.”

O’Connell likens what Asamoah is doing in 2024 to what Joshua Metellus did in 2022.

“Yeah, everybody sees him now,” noted O’Connell. “But his journey really started in those phases.”

“His situation is pretty unique,” Asamoah said with respect. “But he’s not the only one that’s been through this type of situation. You can talk about the linebacker, 44, for the Colts (Zaire Franklin), who has been through this; [49ers safety Talanoa] Hufanga did this. I guess it’s different for everybody, man.

“Like I said, you’ve just gotta take advantage of your role – whatever team you’re on, whatever it is that you’re doing – and then go from there,” Asamoah added. “As you continue to stack days, and stack seasons on seasons then you get the opportunity to showcase your abilities on whatever side of the ball you are on, and then you go from there and continue to ball, man, and everything just works out.”

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Joshua Metellus Fitting Everywhere Within the White Lines

A screenshot on Joshua Metellus’ phone serves as a simple reminder.

In mid-July he noticed a post on X that emboldened a list of the league’s top safeties determined by team executives, scouts and coaches. It bothered him a great deal. He wasn’t even honorable mention.

How could top football minds disregard the 26-year-old defender? Metellus was literally everywhere in 2023. He intercepted a pass, defended five, forced four fumbles, had 2.5 sacks, 116 total tackles and 10 hits on quarterbacks while playing 1,065 defensive snaps. It could be viewed as a disrespectful oversight.

But Metellus isn’t hung up on it in that way. He’s instead used it as an impetus for his growth this season.

The Vikings captain saved the incomplete ranking and recently set it as his phone’s wallpaper. It’s quick motivation; a daily nudge that tells Metellus, “I’m not where I want to be, yet. People don’t look at (No.) 44 and say, ‘Oh, he’s the best defensive player in the NFL,’ yet. In my head there’s a lot more to get to.”

He’s on the right path.

Metellus is unshakeable now, whereas last year he was thrust into full-time starting roles and spent so much of his energy trying to acquire confidence. He logged 396 defensive snaps at slot cornerback, 377 off the ball in the box, 206 on the defensive line, 29 defending outside receivers and 55 as a free safety.

“There’s not really a lot of guys, if any, who do, necessarily, what I do,” Metellus affirmed. “I mean, you’ve got guys who do a little bit of this, like Brian Branch and Kyle Hamilton, they play in the slot and at deep safety – I do that too – but then they don’t play as much as Jamal Adams would in the box, or Derwin James would. Derwin James, this year, has done a lot of moving around and that’s been really cool to see. But to the extent that I do it, I don’t think I really know too much about [anyone doing] that.”

The encore in 2024 is striking, adding a counterargument against the top-10 position survey, corroborating it’s inconsiderate – to no one’s fault, really – of what exactly Metellus is achieving weekly.

His job varies from play-to-play, which makes his mind his best weapon on every defensive series.

On first down, Metellus may be pressed up on a slot receiver, disguising zone coverage; on second, he’s in a linebacker stance, ready to flip his hips and perform a deep-middle-of-the-field drop or read blocks and cork running lanes; on weighty downs he could be creeping into the A gap or walked up on the edge, stalking cadences, and dropping into the hook/curl zone after the snap – or assailing the quarterback.

“I play football. I play defense. I don’t know how to describe it,” Metellus said, smiling. “We don’t even know how to describe it. We just still call me a safety that does nickel things [and] linebacker things.”

Metellus can execute those things and is thus one of the select players actually capable of juggling a scale of responsibilities as large as his thanks to the fastest-twitch non-muscle in his body – his brain.

Metellus ascribed his capacity to learn, store and tap information to lessons far away from the field.

Because he sticks with Vikings defensive backs in position meetings, Metellus is not afforded all of the individual coaching points that are privy to the team’s inside linebackers or edge rushers, for example. His high-level functioning on game day demands extra work during the week – arriving to the facility early and leaving late, picking apart film cut-ups of linebackers, and badgering coaches and teammates.

“When we’re in the team [meeting] room, I specify a lot,” Metellus shared. “Like I’m one of the guys in there asking the most questions, like, ‘All right, when I’m here, do I do this?’ Or like, if I hear somebody chatting about potentially something I could be a part of, I’m being nosy, and that’s really just what it is.

“I’m not the most athletic or the fastest, strongest, but I’m not the slowest, the weakest,” Metellus added with strong assurance that his wits are his best asset. “I can match up physically, but what takes me that extra step to get me my wins or help the team win is that mental part of it, whether that’s being mentally calm, having great energy, or that’s me just knowing where I’m going faster than the other guy.”

Metellus insisted Vikings coaches know his tics well enough to not bother sugarcoating things.

He’s also aware of facets that require sharpening. Metellus feels so much more comfortable diagnosing run plays this year, but he thinks his eyes can be better; he has only missed two tackles this season after whiffing on 13 in 2023 but believes his tackling isn’t where it needs to be, yet. He’s challenging himself to zipper up his coverage, despite already lowering his completion percentage allowed and intercepting two passes, including one in Week 14 thrown by former teammate Kirk Cousins. His implementation of yoga and pilates — once per week during the season and every day he can out of it — has helped him stay healthy and apply his “God-given abilities the right way,” he said. Flexibility is essential to his roles.

Metellus also is careful not to lose sight of the physicality that complements his mentality so well.

Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores sang praise this month for Metellus’ enormous effect: “He’s one of these guys who’s in this postseason accolades kind of thought process for me. I’m not sure there’s a guy who plays as many different positions as he does, and adds as much value to a team as he does.”

This season, Metellus is playing a few yards back from the line of scrimmage and inside the tackle box at a higher rate, partly because starting linebackers Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, Jr., have been shelved, at different times, with injuries. Also, because Metellus has grown into a very skilled inside linebacker.

“I think his ability to play there and nickel-type roles and safety-type roles and man-to-man, like all of those things is, in my opinion, the most impressive because it’s hard for a lot of people to flip their brain constantly into different roles,” future Pro Football Hall of Famer Harrison Smith noted.

Flores played up Metellus’ defense against the run as his single biggest improvement. Smith, a linebacker and safety at Notre Dame and recurring playmaker in the box over the course of 13 pro seasons, agreed.

“This year you can just tell he’s very decisive,” Smith asserted. “When he knows, he goes. It’s aggressive. It’s physical. He tackles well. Like a lot of his linebacker run fits look like a very good linebacker doing it.”

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Proposed Vikings signing would land 4-time Pro Bowler as Stephon Gilmore insurance

The Minnesota Vikings did enough on defense on Sunday to stop old friend Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Vikings got interceptions from defensive backs Josh Metellus and Byron Murphy Jr. and limited Atlanta to 21 points. They did, however, surrender 338 passing yards to Cousins and 8.9 yards per pass overall.

While Minnesota has been a bend but don’t break defense all season — they’re 17th in total average yards allowed and sixth in points against — the Falcons game had the added challenge of filling the void left by top cornerback Stephon Gilmore. The veteran missed the game with a hamstring injury, and his status going forward is up in the air, as hamstrings often take multiple weeks to heal.

With that said, an extended absence for Gilmore would stress Minnesota’s already thin secondary, and could create potential matchup disadvantages during the season’s stretch run. Matt Holder of Bleacher Report believes the team could find a potential solution by kicking the tires on a current veteran free agent who Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores knows well.

In his NFC scouting reports for Week 15, Holder urged the Vikings to kick the tires on former four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro Xavien Howard, who played for Flores during his entire tenure as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. Here was Holder’s take on the potential move:

“While the team added Kelvin Joseph to the practice squad this past week, it couldn’t hurt to explore bringing in another veteran like Howard for the playoff run. Plus, it helps that the former Dolphin has experience playing for defensive coordinator Brian Flores. That should help him get up to speed faster if called upon over the final stretch of the regular season or in the postseason.”

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Colts $3.7 million starter predicted to cut ties with Indy in favor of Vikings

After an injury-plagued start to his NFL career, Julian Blackmon stepped up for the Indianapolis Colts in 2023, the final year of his rookie contract. The team’s starting strong safety, Blackmon led the Colts with 88 tackles, four interceptions and eight pass breakups.

Those numbers figured to earn Blackmon some looks in free agency, but with the market for safeties down across the league, the 26-year-old wound up returning to Indy on a one-year, prove-it deal worth $3.7 million.

Blackmon has doubled down with a Pro Bowl-caliber season, entering Week 15 with 70 total tackles and two interceptions in 12 games. As a result, Matt Holder of Bleacher Report sees Blackmon’s market improving next March at the start of the next league year.

Holder predicts Blackmon will cut ties with Indy this offseason to join one of the NFL’s best defenses in the Minnesota Vikings. Here was Holder’s take on Blackmon potentially landing in the Twin Cites:

Camryn Bynum and Harrison Smith are impending free agents, which will make Minnesota big players in the safety market this offseason. Blackmon could be a good target on the open market since he has experience playing in the box and as a deep safety. The 26-year-old who turns 27 in August has also been pretty productive over the last two years with 158 total tackles, six interceptions and 11 passes defended in 27 games during that time frame.

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Sounds Like Kirk Cousins New Teammates are Ready to Move on Already

After the Falcons committed $100 million guaranteed to secure Cousins’ services in the offseason, Kirk has repaid them with arguably the worst season he has had as an NFL starter. Across 13 games for the Falcons, Cousins has generated plenty of production through the air. That hasn’t been the issue.

His 3,396 sit near the top of the NFL, and his 67% completion rate is in lockstep with his career average (66.9%). So, what is Kirk Cousins’ problem? He can’t stop giving the ball away. The 13-year NFL veteran has thrown 15 interceptions already.

Not only is that the most in the league, through 14 weeks… it’s also a career single-season high. How bad has it been? In his last four games, Kirk has thrown 8 interceptions and ZERO touchdowns. He hasn’t played this poorly since early on in Washington.

If he isn’t careful, that surging total INT number is going to surpass his TD total, which has been flatlined at 17 since November 3, when he threw three touchdown passes in a win vs the Dallas Cowboys. That was also the last time Atlanta tasted victory.

A scenario where, not just fans and media, but his own teammates are starting to shift their QB gaze to his young, shiny first round rookie replacement. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz (FOX Sports), that is exactly what is starting to take place in the Falcons’ locker room.

“I truly believe the only reason that they haven’t gone to Michael Penix Jr. yet is because of optics. Because, the Falcons gave Kirk Cousins $100 million guaranteed. I have had players inside that locker room tell me, point blank, Michael Penix Jr. is the best quarterback in this building.

The fact that they still have Kirk Cousins, who has the worst QBR in the red zone… who leads the NFL in picks (15), fumbles 12, and this is a team by the way with really good talent. You ask anybody around this league, and they’ll tell you, they have great weaponry. There’s Bijan [Robinson], [Kyle] Pitts, [Drake] London, [Darnell] Mooney, you go down the list. The fact that they are still with Cousins is because of optics.”

Did Cousins make a mistake by taking the money in Atlanta?

The former Vikings signal caller is clearly not the same player without his elite talent, and a head coach capable of making the difference helped too. With the Falcons Cousins was able to cash in again, but it remains to be seen if his career remains as fruitful from here.

There was a period where Kirk Cousins could have remained with the Minnesota Vikings. He would have needed to choose a legacy over dollars, and needed to deliver at the highest level. That never happened and now the scrutiny will continue forever.

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