NFL rumors: 5 Kirk Cousins replacements Vikings should already consider

1. Caleb Williams is the Vikings gold standard for replacing Kirk Cousins

Then we have Caleb Williams. Truth be told, he would be the ideal option for the Minnesota Vikings if they move on and need to replace Kirk Cousins. The only issue would be whether or not they have the willingness (or capability) to trade what it would take in order to be able to draft the reigning Heisman Trophy winner out of USC.

Williams has drawn comparisons to Patrick Mahomes as a prospect. It’s easy to see why that’s the case with the dynamic playmaking that both players possess combined with creativity and a cerebral approach. However, that’s not entirely accurate. In fact, NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees him as a smaller (6-foot-1, 220 pounds) Josh Allen.

That, of course, will still work at the NFL level. And you can see it all in Williams. He’s got a cannon arm but with far more accuracy than Allen had as a prospect, but also compliments that with elite athleticism for a quarterback that allows him to rush, create more time, and simply make plays.

Williams would bring a dynamic element to the quarterback position for the Vikings that Cousins just doesn’t have the physical tools to do. Moreover, he’d also be more than a decade younger and raise the ceiling in Minnesota a great deal.

The big question will be if the Vikings want to trade up for him — or for Drake Maye, the consensus QB2 in the class — when the time comes. It’ll be costly and, heck, the Cardinals might not want to trade away the pick that could land them Caleb Williams, hence the possibility of Kyler Murray being available.

With that being said, if a trade for Williams is on the table, it should be a serious consideration for Minnesota. If the Vikings are going to replace Kirk Cousins, then they should go all-in on doing so. Trading up and drafting Williams is that option.