ESPN predicts a new starting quarterback for the Vikings

And their choice is “meh” at best

More takes on the Minnesota Vikings quarterback situation are rolling in, and a new one from ESPN is one that I don’t particularly care for but some others might have different opinions on.

Behind the great E$PN paywall, NFL analytics guy Seth Walder has a prediction for who all 32 teams will start at quarterback in 2024. His pick for the Vikings is a guy that they’ve been quite familiar with over the years and that we’ve had some discussions about already in this space. Walder is predicting that after the Denver Broncos get around to cutting Russell Wilson, he’s going to wind up landing in Minnesota.

Let’s call this Wilson plus Oregon’s Bo Nix. Cousins might end up back in Minnesota, but I could see the Vikings balking at giving him a multiyear guaranteed contract. If he’s out of the picture, Wilson is probably the next-best short-term solution. (I’m assuming the Bears wouldn’t deal Justin Fields inside their division.) But don’t be surprised if the Vikings go after multiple players to fill Cousins’ void. If they do, acquiring Wilson and drafting a QB at No. 12 makes the most sense.

(The Vikings actually pick at #11 but, you know, po-tay-to, po-tah-to.)

After having quite a bit of success in Seattle, the Seahawks traded Wilson to the Broncos ahead of the 2022 season. In 2022 he was positively awful as they muddled through having Nathaniel Hackett as their head coach for less than a year before he was fired, but he did experience a bit of a bounceback in 2023. In 15 games, Wilson completed 66.4% of his passes and threw 26 touchdowns along with eight interceptions. Then the Broncos decided to bench him for the final two games of the year, presumably to protect him from getting injured in the hopes that they could trade him this offseason and go in a different direction at quarterback.

Like I said, maybe it’s just me, but the idea of Russell Wilson being the Vikings’ quarterback doesn’t do a whole lot for me. Maybe he can come in and find some of the spark he had in Seattle in throwing to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson (when he returns), but if people aren’t excited about Kirk Cousins (who already has a connection with those guys) potentially coming back then I’m not sure why Wilson would be that exciting.

The one argument that could be made in Wilson’s favor is that he’d likely be significantly cheaper than Cousins. Given the amount of money that’s still left on his contract. . .the Broncos will have to eat a gigantic dead cap hit to move on from Wilson. . .he’d probably be willing to take a smaller deal with a new team to balance things out. Obviously I don’t know that for sure, but a lot of the Really Smart Football People™ seem to think that will be the case.

Speaking of Cousins, Walder’s prediction has him going to Atlanta.

Atlanta makes sense for Cousins, assuming he’s fully recovered from the torn Achilles he suffered in Week 8. He’d be going from one former Sean McVay assistant (Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell) to another (Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson). And the Falcons are closer to contending than most think. The roster is fairly strong and was held back by the play of quarterbacks Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke. With a new coaching staff and a proven veteran quarterback in Cousins, the Falcons wouldn’t only be NFC South favorites — they could win a playoff game or two.

So, what do you think of the prospect of Russell Wilson at quarterback for the Vikings, folks?