3 Kirk Cousins replacements Vikings can reach for out of desperation

Trade for Baker Mayfield

This is perhaps the weirdest possible option. But if the Vikings want to clear up as much cap space as possible, trading Cousins would be the best bet. Who would want to take on his $35 million salary in 2022, you ask? How about the Cleveland Browns?

The head coach of the Browns is Kevin Stefanski, who served as Cousins’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in Minnesota from 2018-19. Cousins had his best statistical seasons in Minnesota with Stefanski coaching him. If Stefanski feels that Cousins would improve the quarterback situation in Cleveland, then a trade is a possibility.

If they do, let’s just say, hypothetically, they get Baker Mayfield as part of a quarterback swap.

Mayfield is having a rather down 2021 season, which can be attributed to a left shoulder injury suffered earlier in the campaign. Prior to Cleveland’s Week 17 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mayfield has thrown for 2,825 yards, 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions all on a 62.4 completion percentage.

While this year looked bad and all, you can not gloss over that Mayfield did play a role in the Browns clinching a playoff spot in 2020 for the first time in nearly 20 years. He threw for 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions that year (62.8 completion percentage).

Bringing in Mayfield would only count for $18.9 million against the cap for Minnesota, which is significantly less than Cousins. That, and Mayfield will be entering yet another favorable situation in Minnesota, where he gets to hand the ball off to Dalvin Cook and throw passes to Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.

Again this is all hypothetical.