With current quarterback Kirk Cousins out of contract this offseason, speculation is already mounting as to who will be the next signal-caller for the Minnesota Vikings. While the possibility of Cousins re-signing remains open, new rumors hint at the Vikings potentially moving in a different direction in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Are the Vikings Looking To Trade Up in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Who the starting quarterback in 2024 is up in the air. Cousins is out of contract, and the Vikings are currently slated to pick 11th overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. There will certainly be QBs available for them to pick outside the top 10, but fresh speculation suggests the Vikings are exploring options to trade up.
Teams always talk and discuss prices to trade up in any draft. It is part of the due diligence as teams attempt to figure out the process and build their boards pre-draft.
It wouldn’t be unusual for the Vikings to discuss the cost of moving up. However, new rumors add to the growing belief that the Vikings could draft a QB this year.
With Cousins getting older, the Vikings drafting a QB has been speculated for the last few draft cycles. Minnesota could now be ready with Cousins due to coming off the books this offseason.
Reporter Ben Goessling from the Star Tribune was on the Paul Allen Show on KFAN when he discussed what Minnesota might do at the QB position in 2024.
“If they’re going to take [a QB], it’s going to be someone we love or we’re not doing it. If you have to give up a couple of first-round picks for future years, I don’t think they’d bat an eye at that.”
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“They have certainly looked at this as ‘we need to get the guy that we can plant our flag with for the next 10 years, and if it costs a lot to do that, so be it,'” Goessling said.
“I don’t think they’re going to limp in on this, so to speak, and be like, ‘Well, if it’s QB5 and we’re kind of OK with him, let’s take him anyway.'”
Whatever the price will be for the Vikings to move up, it will be high.
“You have to give somebody enough that either New England or Washington say, ‘No, we’re OK passing up on a guy that we think can be a great player for a long time.’ And maybe they won’t see it the same way. That would help the Vikings out,” Goessling said on why Minnesota must bid big.
However, if they move up, they will need to pay handsomely for the pleasure.
“But you have to figure somebody else will. So you have to outbid all of them and make the Commanders or Patriots say, ‘As much as we like this guy, it’s hard to pass up this kind of a package.’ It would cost a lot.
“You’re probably going to pay a premium to get up and get one of those guys, given the way the board breaks for a lot of these teams that need quarterbacks.”
How Likely Is This To Happen?
What gives these rumors more credence is that Cousins has fueled speculation himself in recent days.
Speaking to Isabel Gonzales from CBS Sports, Cousins said, “I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach. But we’ll have to see where March leads. There’s a lot of unknowns right now.”
Right now, the wind is blowing in just one direction. With rumors swirling and Cousins appearing to be open to free agency, this really could be the end for the veteran in Minnesota.
If the Vikings want one of the top three QBs in this draft, it will cost them a fortune. The Bears, Commanders, and Patriots sit in with the top three picks, respectively.
All three teams are QB-needy, but the Bears are the wild card. Holding the first overall pick, they already have a QB in Justin Fields, and it is currently unknown if Chicago wants to trade Fields, trade the pick, or draft one of the top WRs we have ever seen in Marvin Harrison Jr.
If they trade Fields, they are almost certainly locked into drafting a QB, as are the Commanders and Patriots. Meanwhile, if they were looking to trade the pick, would they really do so to a divisional rival in the Vikings, knowing they will have to face whoever they pick twice a season, every season? It feels unlikely.
Which QB Could They Target?
In the theoretical world that the Vikings trade up, the top three candidates are Caleb Williams from USC, Drake Maye from North Carolina, and Jayden Daniels from LSU. As previously stated, all three are expected to go in the first three picks.
If the Vikings can’t get into the top three picks, the Arizona Cardinals sit at four. The cost will still be expensive with blue-chip players available, and the talent does drop off at the QB position after the big three.
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Other potential first-round quarterbacks could be J.J. McCarthy from Michigan, Bo Nix from Oregon, and Michael Penix Jr. from Washington. However, all could be deemed a reach in the top 10.
The teams that the Vikings will be watching are the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, who have QB questions to answer between now and April. If Minnesota wants to give the farm to move up, it will have to be into the top three, and all three prospects are worth it. The problem for the Vikings will be finding someone willing to listen to their offer.
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