MINNEAPOLIS — The Vikings' new leaders are working miracles. They've already upgraded their quarterback position relative to the rest of the NFC.
They didn't even break a sweat.
Tom Brady retired. Russell Wilson was traded from the NFC to the AFC. Carson Wentz was traded from the AFC to the NFC. Jimmy Garoppolo is likely to be traded from the NFC to the AFC.
What does this mean for the Vikings?
That their overpaid and unvaccinated quarterback's stock has risen in the conference in which they compete.
Last year, even while having a strong statistical season, Cousins was a middle-of-the-pack quarterback in the NFC. He ranked behind Brady, Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, Dak Prescott and maybe Kyler Murray and Garoppolo.
He ranked about seventh or eighth in a 16-team conference that featured a few inexperienced starters and terrible quarterback situations, such as those in Carolina, New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington.
Now Cousins ranks as high as fourth among NFC quarterbacks, given Murray's poor play at the end of the season.
The AFC is stacked, featuring six superstars in Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Wilson and Lamar Jackson; five playoff-caliber quarterbacks in Derek Carr, Ryan Tannehill, Matt Jones, Tua Tagovailoa and Baker Mayfield; and last year's No. 1 draft pick in Trevor Lawrence.
(Mayfield won a playoff game after the 2020 season and Tagovailoa quarterbacked a nine-victory team that didn't have a running game a year ago).
If the Vikings were in the AFC, they could conclude that Cousins couldn't compete with the conference's best quarterbacks.
There's no reason to think that in the NFC.
Rodgers keeps failing in the playoffs, and doesn't seem to perform well in cold conditions against good teams in Lambeau. By re-signing him, the Packers cement themselves as favorites in the NFC North, but it's hard to imagine them winning a Super Bowl with an aging quarterback who relies on mobility and has disappointed so often in the postseason.
Brady is gone. Wilson is gone. Stafford played well enough to win a Super Bowl but was often erratic last season. Prescott is remarkably productive but plays for the most overrated franchise in sports. Murray has much to prove. Garoppolo may be starting for the Colts next season, if he recovers fully from shoulder surgery.
Even those who think Cousins is vastly overpaid and overrated can't figure out a way for the Vikings to find a better quarterback by September.
The Colts just traded Wentz for, essentially, two third-round draft picks.
Wentz and Cousins are similar in that both are productive and both leave their organizations wanting.
I wouldn't trade Cousins for two third-round picks. Two third-round picks don't help you acquire your quarterback of the immediate, near or long-term future.
To move away from Cousins, the Vikings would have to trade him for mediocre value, then sign a journeyman stopgap quarterback and admit they're trying to rebuild.
The price paid by the Broncos for Wilson — essentially two first-round picks, two second-rounders and three players — is an admission that finding and grooming your next quarterback is the hardest task in the NFL.
Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell comes to Minnesota from the Rams, who have gone to two Super Bowls in four years with Jared Goff and Stafford.
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah worked for the 49ers, who went to one Super Bowl and another NFC title game with Garoppolo.
Goff is a placeholder. Stafford is a good-not-great quarterback. Garoppolo falls somewhere between the two.
So every time you hear a rumor about the Vikings trading Cousins, ask yourself these questions:
Can the Vikings get good value for a highly paid middling quarterback who has won one playoff game in seven years as a starter?
Do the Vikings have a viable alternative for this season?
Would any NFL team with a solid roster trade the fourth-best quarterback in the conference without having a replacement on their roster?
The answer to that last question is: Only if you're not trying to win in 2022.
