I am reluctant to count up how many different times in the last 12 months, totaling how many words, I have either written here or talked on the Daily Delivery podcast about the possibility of a Kirk Cousins trade.
Paradox: No-trade clause doesn't mean Kirk Cousins won't be dealt
On Friday's Daily Delivery podcast, Ben Goessling explained why the Vikings QB's new contract doesn't necessarily mean he'll be here for the next two years.
March 18, 2022 at 4:10PM
Let's just say, via imprecise measure: A lot.
And let's also say I was a little sad — perhaps even a bit worried — that all those words and column inches had been wasted and were coming to an end when it was announced last weekend that the Vikings had restructured Cousins' deal by adding a year to it along with a no-trade clause.
Does this mean Cousins is a lock to be the Vikings' QB in 2022 and 2023?
Well ... not exactly. That's how Star Tribune Vikings writer Ben Goessling answered that question — much to my surprise and relief — on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.
"I don't think so," Goessling said of the notion that it's 100% certain Cousins will be the Vikings' QB for the next two seasons. "I don't think we're done with it. The no-trade clause certainly gives him some leverage in the situation. ... He got the no-trade clause, I think, because he wants to have some say in what happens. I don't think it necessarily means he's a lead-pipe lock to be the quarterback in 2022 and 2023. If he's the subject of trade talks again in a year, you're going to have to get him to say, 'I'll waive it for this team but not this other one.'"
That's an interesting perspective, and one that makes sense. Without the no-trade clause, Cousins would have been doing the Vikings a favor (an expensive one, to be sure) by simply adding a year to his deal. The addition of the clause is the return of that favor.
The extension gave the Vikings a smidgen of flexibility this year that — when combined with moves so far on Harrison Smith and Adam Thielen — is allowing them to address some needs in free agency.
And it lets them evaluate Cousins for a season while knowing that if things go well he's under contract in 2023 — and if they don't, a trade is still a possible option if Cousins will agree to it.
For now, I'll probably stop breathlessly writing about a Cousins trade possibility quite so much. Although that Baker Mayfield situation in Cleveland is sure interesting.
When he was hired after the disastrous 2016 season to reshape the Twins, Derek Falvey brought a reputation for identifying and developing pitching talent. It took a while, but the pipeline we were promised is now materializing.
