3 quarterbacks the Broncos could have traded for instead of Russell Wilson
2. Kirk Cousins
When a new general manager and head coach were lined up to be coming to Minnesota after the firings of Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer, Cousins was theoretically available very early last offseason. But new head coach Kevin O’Connell had some history with Cousins back in Washington, new GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was immediately committed to remaining competitive and not tearing down the roster.
Where the Broncos could’ve been a suitor for Cousins lies in history. General manager George Paton worked under Spielman for years in Minnesota, and he was of course working in the Vikings’ front office (as assistant GM and vice president of player personnel by then) when Cousins was signed in 2018.
It can’t be for sure known if Paton was a strong advocate for signing and ultimately extending Cousins, but some of his comments after the Broncos acquired Wilson seemed to throw shade at the Vikings’ signal caller.
"There’s something different,” Paton said. “I experienced that for one year, two years actually, when we got [Brett] Favre in Minnesota. I remember that first practice. Really, you knew it. It elevated everyone. And it didn’t just elevate the players. It elevated the people in the building, the work ethic, the accountability. We feel that here with Russ.”"
To be fair all-around, Paton wasn’t going to say anything but good things about his new quarterback right after making the big trade for Wilson. If anything he said came off as a knock to Cousins, it probably wasn’t intended. And as it turned out, Cousins seemingly only needed a head coach he connected with to bring out something different in him as the Vikings have marched to a 9-2 record this season. Who’s to say that head coach couldn’t have been Hackett, in Denver?
Wilson’s level of play was once able to cover up indications things weren’t always hunky-dory with teammates and/or his head coach in Seattle. There have been signs of the same in Denver this year, except with the kind of performance from him that can’t cover it up. So Paton citing Wilson as someone who “elevates” things, beyond using dorky catch-phrases, now looks like a bad take.
Cousins’ teammates appear to, at least mostly, like him. And he has helped elevate things in Minnesota this year, so far. Even if it would’ve been rejected immediately, it’s unlikely Paton even made an offer to the Vikings for Cousins as he was instead wooed by the myth of Russell Wilson.