It’s Okay If The Vikings Don’t Find An Immediate Successor to Kirk Cousins

The case for waiting until next year to draft a QB.

There’s been a lot of discourse this offseason about the Minnesota Vikings future at the quarterback position. Whether that be keeping Kirk Cousins and building around him, keeping Kirk as a bridge quarterback and drafting someone like J.J. McCarthy, or moving on from Cousins completely and trading up for one of the top three players while signing someone like Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, or Gardner Minshew as a stopgap option.

Yet, there is one option the Vikings may end up taking, which is less than ideal but honestly wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. What if the Vikings simply let Kirk leave, and draft BPA at 11? I’m a firm believer in picking the best player available, even if that means not drafting a quarterback in the 2024 draft. It would suck, because everyone from ownership down wants clarity at the quarterback position as soon as possible.

Last season, the Vikings could’ve drafted Will Levis in the first round, but opted to select Jordan Addison instead. The decision was panned by Chris Simms, who called it a “safe bet”, implying that the Vikings should’ve taken a chance on a quarterback in the first round. Given Jordan Addison’s immediate success last year, it appears the Vikings made the right decision by not forcing the issue at a position of need when the talent wasn’t there.

There is a lot of risk taking a signal caller at 11 overall that you don’t absolutely love. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will only have one shot at getting this right, and if he’s betting his job security on someone the Vikings brass isn’t 100% confident in, then that’s a bet he shouldn’t even make. The natural counterpoint to this line of reasoning is: “Well, Minnesota can always trade down, gain assets, and select a tier 2 QB.” I still don’t think that’s a good idea, because finding a franchise quarterback and getting value in the draft are two completely different things.

I’m sure plenty of draft pundits would praise the Vikings’ draft if they landed both Dallas Turner and Michael Penix Jr. in the first round. That being said, none of the value gained matters if the Vikings are settling for Penix and they never really had faith in him to begin with. When it comes to drafting a quarterback, draft value or getting the best bang for your buck doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things.

What does matter is getting a player that everyone from the front office to the coaching staff has full belief in, because you only have one shot to identify and select the right guy. If you fail, you get fired. Which is why it’s imperative that the Vikings take their sweet time with this decision. If that means waiting until 2025 to draft someone everyone loves, then by all means do it.