Rumors are circulating again that the Minnesota Vikings may be selling quarterback Kirk Cousins to the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, it’s incredibly upsetting to hear the rumors for what feels like the 15th time, but it was this comment from CBS Sports’ Adam Schein who said the 49ers would be “clearly” the best team in the NFL next season .
But wait, I was told Cousins wasn’t good enough to win a Super Bowl? How can Cousins make the 49ers the best team in the league unequivocally?
Our friend at The Daily Norseman, Christopher Gates, wrote about Cousins being Schrodinger’s quarterback and it makes sense, but it misses the mark on one point
Cousins would be considered the last piece, not the centerpiece.
The Vikings hired Cousins as mercenaries in 2018. They had a Super Bowl roster that many, including the Vikings, thought was one quarterback away from getting there. Case Keenum had a really good breakaway season in 2017, leading the Vikings within 60 minutes of a Super Bowl spot. With the massive question marks surrounding all three Vikings quarterbacks following the 2017 season, Cousins was the final piece of the puzzle.
The thought was that Cousins would surpass the Vikings with an overloaded roster featuring Stefon Diggs, Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen on offense and the number one defense in football. In theory, Cousins would only need to play able football. Things didn’t work out for many reasons and we continue to talk about cousins here.
Sending him to San Francisco sounds pretty much the same, right?
They started three quarterbacks in 2022, with Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo breaking ankles later in the year. They ended the season with rookie Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy tearing up his UCL in the NFC Championship Game. You have the weapons in Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey. They’re also bringing back number one defense and have an offensive genius in Kyle Shanahan.
The story goes on
It’s not like Cousins is suddenly a Super Bowl quarterback by joining the 49ers, but being that big of an improvement in position based on what they had before fits the same motive. Cousins is a hired mercenary who aims to be the capable quarterback for a great team and nothing more.
Story originally appeared on Vikings Wire
