Kirk Cousins says Vikings trade speculation 'not worth my time or energy'

Kirk Cousins trade speculation is seemingly unavoidable.

In the Vikings media work room on Wednesday for instance, not long before before the team opened up its locker room and Cousins addressed reporters, NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" devoted an entire segment to the question of Cousins' status.

It's good fodder for the speculative crowd, and it doesn't take much to put the pieces together: Cousins is having another good statistical season, but he's a free agent after this year and the Vikings have started a disappointing 1-4.

If the Vikings don't turn things around in the next three games before the Oct. 31 trade deadline, starting with Sunday's must-win at Chicago, a Cousins trade makes sense. Everyone is talking about it, and everyone is listening to it.

Except Cousins, as I talked about on Thursday's Daily Delivery podcast.

"You know I'm just very focused on the Bears and going 1-0 this week," Cousins said Wednesday in response to a question about whether there was a scenario that would cause him to waive his no-trade clause and allow a deal to happen, a veto power that complicates any chatter about a trade. "Anything else is just not worth my time or my energy or attention."

But he surely knows what's being talked about, right?

"Ignorance is bliss, and I'm just really ignorant," Cousins said later in his Wednesday session. "Some high school friends may text me what they're reading, and I'll text them back and tell them I prefer to remain ignorant. Besides that, I really don't know what's going on. I've been insulated at times to the point of being naïve and stupid, but I'd rather err on that side than consuming everything, and it takes your focus away from what's important."

One imagines that's difficult at times for someone wired like Cousins. In other facets of his approach, he wants as much information as possible. Cousins is a constant consumer of film, and a critique of his play is that at times he tends to overthink instead of just letting his instincts guide him.

It comes down, I suppose, to what's controllable or not. Cousins can control his preparation, but to a certain degree he has less control over outcomes. And he has even less control over other people's opinions.

To show what he knows and Cousins doesn't know, here's what the quarterback said when asked about previous seasons in which he's helped rally a team after a slow start.

"We started 2-4 in 2015 and went to the playoffs, won the division. Started 0-2 in 2016, and it came down to the final game and final drive to go to the playoffs. We didn't do it, but we were right there at the end," Cousins said, referring to two seasons in Washington. "In 2020 (with the Vikings), we started 1-5 and ended up being one game from making the playoffs and had all kinds of close losses in November and December. ... You understand there's a lot of football ahead."

Pro Football Reference confirmed that everything Cousins said was correct.

Will the Vikings stage a similar rally this season? Will they fall flat in the next few games and try to trade Cousins?

Nobody knows.

Here are four more things to know today:

*Check out Wednesday night's bonus podcast from the Twins' season-ending Game 4 loss, featuring Star Tribune columnist La Velle E. Neal III.

*Want even more Twins talk? Friday's guest will be beat writer Bobby Nightengale as we break down the biggest questions heading into the offseason.

*On Thursday morning's show, Chris Hine gave his thoughts on the Wolves' training camp so far and suggested the opening night rotation two weeks from now should be fairly well set already.

*Just as the Twins ended, the Wild begin. Check out Sarah McLellan's feature on Joel Eriksson Ek ahead of Thursday's opener.