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Kirk Cousins was a massive reason for the Minnesota Vikings’ 2023 Week 7 Monday Night Football victory over the heavily favored San Francisco 49ers. He bounced back after throwing an interception in the first drive, finishing with 35 completions for 378 yards and two touchdowns.
He also completed 77.8 percent of his passes to give the Vikings their first home victory this season. After this impressive performance, Colin Cowherd believes the veteran play-caller is worth the gamble for teams looking to make a deal before the trade deadline.
Colin Cowherd suggests putting Kirk Cousins up for trade
To put Kirk Cousins’ display against the San Francisco 49ers, he did it behind an average offensive line that has had issues this year. The Minnesota Vikings also played without Justin Jefferson, who is on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring injury in Week 5.
Likewise, Minnesota’s run game isn’t the same with Dalvin Cook already with the New York Jets. Alexander Mattison has been a disappointment for the most part, while Cam Akers hasn’t had a breakout game yet. Therefore, Cousins can’t rely much on their ground attack.
Despite those odds, the four-time Pro Bowler willed his squad to victory, throwing two touchdowns to Jordan Addison. The rookie wideout also deserves massive credit for taking the ball away from Charvarius Ward on what could have been Cousins’ second pick in the first half.
While Cousins has helped the Vikings remain a respectable franchise in recent years, Colin Cowherd highlighted how he can jumpstart long-term success. However, it involves dealing him to another team before the October 31 trade deadline.
Cowherd shared in his quick reaction on The Volume’s YouTube channel:
“If you move off Kirk Cousins, if you have a top 10-12 pick, you're gonna go get a quarterback. Because you get a first-round pick for Kirk Cousins. Certainly get a couple of seconds. I thought Kirk Cousins, standalone game, against the 49ers, if I'm a general manager looking around this league I'm like... 'Let's roll the dice.'"
Interest in Cousins will increase after this production level against one of the NFL’s best defenses. He helped the Vikings gain 6.87 yards per play and convert eight of their 13 third-down attempts. Any contender looking for an upgrade at quarterback will benefit from having a steady presence like him.
Kirk Cousins is in the final year of his contract
Cousins might not be part of the Vikings’ long-term plans for the new regime in place. After all, they did not offer him another extension after he agreed to a one-year, $35 deal last year. Therefore, there’s a chance he will leave, and Minnesota gets nothing in return.
Hence, Cowherd suggested moving away from Cousins to start the rebuild. Getting an early first-round pick could land them one of the top quarterback prospects for next year, like Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, or Michael Penix Jr.
