Kirk Cousins trade odds: Vikings could move on from potential free-agent quarterback with Jets an obvious landing spot
Could the Minnesota Vikings trade Kirk Cousins?
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It's very rare for NFL starting quarterbacks to be traded during a season, but with the Minnesota Vikings falling to 0-2 with Thursday night's loss in Philadelphia – despite Cousins putting up excellent numbers; he became only the second Vikings signal-caller ever to lose when throwing four TD passes and no picks – rumors of a potential Cousins trade looming if Minnesota doesn't turn things around have begun to swirl. The veteran QB is an unrestricted free agent this winter. SportsLine offers odds on Cousins' future.
Cousins is playing out a one-year extension he signed last offseason. It's worth $35 million and fully guaranteed. This summer, Cousins hinted that there were no extension talks with the team: "I think we'll probably talk about the contract next March. Until then, [we'll] just focus on this season and the job to do right now."
The Vikings also declined to pay $10 million to four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook and waived him, yet did sign tight end T.J. Hockenson to long-term deal on the eve of the season. One can see the team's plans here in a way. Hockenson is only 26, while Cook is old for a running back at 28 (and they are largely perceived as interchangeable) and Cousins is 35.
While the Vikings were a playoff team last year, they were historically lucky at 11-0 in one-score games. Those were the most such wins in a single season in league history. Including January's home upset loss to the Giants and two games into 2023, Minnesota has now lost three straight one-score games. Since 2007, only 12 of 125 teams to lose their first two games ended up in the playoffs.
Cousins has put up massive numbers so far, completing 72.7% of his passes for 708 yards, six TDs and one pick. But he always puts up rather "empty" numbers and frankly has never won a big game.
Minnesota surely doesn't have its QB of the future on the roster – Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are Cousins' backups – but if the team completely implodes it could have a shot at USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye high atop the 2024 draft.
CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin wrote a story after Minnesota's loss on Thursday speculating about a possible trade to the Jets, who have a Super Bowl-caliber roster everywhere but at quarterback after losing Aaron Rodgers for the season in Week 1. The Jets are saying all the right things about former No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson, but there's a reason they went out and got Rodgers.
Cousins does have a no-trade clause. The NFL trade deadline is Halloween. Here are Minnesota's opponents until then: Week 3 vs. Chargers, Week 4 at Panthers, Week 5 vs. Chiefs, Week 6 at Bears, Week 7 vs. 49ers and Week 8 at Packers. Realistically, how many of those do the Vikings win?
SportsLine Projection Model creator Stephen Oh ran sims of Cousins being traded to the Jets. He also did it for Tennessee's Ryan Tannehill. See below.
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Kirk Cousins be traded this season?
Via SportsLine oddsmakers: Will Kirk Cousins be the Vikings' Week 1 starting QB in 2024?
| NEW YORK JETS | WINS | WIN% | DIVISION | PLAYOFF | CONF | CHAMP |
| w/ Zach Wilson currently | 7.9 | 46.50% | 10.80% | 29.00% | 1.20% | 0.40% |
| w/ Kirk Cousins | 9.2 | 54.10% | 23.90% | 53.50% | 4.70% | 1.80% |
| Difference | 1.3 | 7.60% | 13.10% | 24.50% | 3.50% | 1.40% |
| NEW YORK JETS | WINS | WIN% | DIVISION | PLAYOFF | CONF | CHAMP |
| w/ Zach Wilson currently | 7.9 | 46.50% | 10.80% | 29.00% | 1.20% | 0.40% |
| w/ Ryan Tannehill | 8.3 | 48.80% | 14.70% | 35.70% | 2.20% | 0.80% |
| Difference | 0.4 | 2.40% | 3.90% | 6.70% | 1.00% | 0.40% |
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