So can someone that understands football better than me explain whose fault the three yard pass to Hockenson was. Was it Cousins for throwing it or Hockenson for not running his route right or what? I feel like he caught a lot of passes during the game simply because of the attention the defense rightfully paid to Jefferson, but compared to some tight ends, whenever I watch he doesn’t seem to get that many yards after the catch. Lions fans are having a field day after a comment he made that they viewed as disrespectful.
***2024 Minnesota Vikings***
- Thread starter Marcelason78
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Cousins cap hit next year places him at the 6th highest for QBs. That's probably going to drop down the list when you include Lamar Jackson and any other QBs that sign new deals. Bulk stat-wise, he's a edge of top 5 QB. Advanced stats like him less though. He's either top of middle third or bottom of middle third depending on the grading system. I'm sure Minny would love to have a little more flexibility when it comes to his contract, but that would require committing to more than just next year of him. Frankly, I see them rolling with him next year and moving on in 2024.
This is EXACTLY the reason why I WANT the Bears to keep Fields and not draft a QB. The rookie contract clock is almost 1/2 over and they have a bad roster. If they hit on all the picks and sign some good free agents. They will be competitive in 2025-2027. By then, Fields will cost a fortune and they miss the window.
Hockenson was in a no win situation. Against man defense and a defender at his back, he had no chance at turning up field. Poor choice by Cousins. Take the chance at an INT and throw past the sticks.
It would all depend on what Cousins thinks he's worth. If they somehow restructured his contract so that his cap hit was around $25M, then he'd be in that mid-tier category.
I don't know if this is possible, but lets say they convert his roster bonus into a bonus. That would turn his cap hit into $23M this year and $13M in 2024/25 (when he is no longer on the team). Hurts in 2024 and 2025 (by an additional $7M each year). Vikings have a lot of cap space in those years
Should have thrown it deeper, but Hockenson is good after the catch. It was an excellent tackle, but there was a decent chance that Hock sheds that tackle and picks up the first down.
I was also thinking even if Jefferson or someone past the sticks was covered, at least throwing there he might get a flag.
I suspect a lot of the Hockenson comments I have seen are Lions fans ticked about the comment he made.
If KAM gets Kirk to agree to that contract without completely sacrificing the future (void years). Then I will completely shift my thoughts on Kirk
Let’s just assume the Lions were interested in making the same deal. The Vikings going to give up two firsts and a third?
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Stafford is a level above Kirk, not debatable.. Plus Stafford's 2021 cap hit was $20M. $17.8M of that was on the Lions books. $24.8M of dead cap from Goff. So, the Rams had a $27M cap hit for their QB. That is $10M less than Kirks cap hit for 2023.. $4.5M below his 2022 hit. Vikings could have used $4.5M on another corner, center, or guard and are likely heading to San Fran this weekend.
The Vikings make that deal, they aren’t winning a SB. Rams D was 9th in YPP, Vikings were 27th.
So they would’ve traded two firsts and a third, would have no SB, and now would be in even worse cap hell than they are now for longer.
This idea that there are a bunch of good mid-priced QBs out there is just a myth. It’s guys on rookie deals or big cap hits.
Stafford would be the exception, but that’s just because it’s mortgaged and they’ll have a $50Mish hit moving forward.
Kirk can decide if he wants his next and probably last deal as something cap friendly and try to make a SB run. If he wants to max his pay, his ceiling is a decent playoff team.
The "take a team friendly deal and get a supporting cast" people always crack me up. Virtually none of us would do that yet we expect others to do so?
I agree with this completely. Kirk has got his guaranteed money contracts. Time to either keep getting them and be stuck in mediocrity, or take the Tom Brady route. Cut his cap hit. Give the Vikings a chance at retooling the defense and signing Jefferson to the biggest WR cap hit ever.
Why wouldn't Kirk agree to that kind of restructure? It'd be exactly the same money he'd be getting if they did nothing.
The only way he might not is if he tries to use it as leverage to get an extended contract.
when is the last time any one of us made the kind of money that a "team friendly" deal would offer him. Guy would still make like 24 mil a year on a team friendly deal.
I’m not ready to give up on Andrew Booth and Lewis Cine yet but yeah not great that they were hurt all year.
The back seven on defense was the Vikes problem all year. It was the reason they lost yesterday. Hopefully they address this in FA and the draft and let Donatell retire.
I don't get the defenders of Cousins. Ultimately, he's paid like a top QB and doesn't deliver in wins. Sure, his stats are always nice for the season, and he looks good when a play goes as designed. He has played better this year under KOC and is tough and appears to be a good guy. But, this season and yesterday's game are the epitome of Cousins - nice year, nice stats, had some really nice moments, but lost when it mattered.
Both can be (and are) true - the Vikings D is terrible, and Kirk is a middle-tier QB. Kirk is a statue in the pocket who turns into a deer in headlights at times. To his credit, yesterday, he stood in a took a lot of hits & made some nice throws. But, did you notice any time where he slid in the pocket as he felt pressure? Nope. He is numb back there, which means he rarely extends a play to make a nice play or lemonade out of lemons (unless you love yourself some checkdowns). Tom Brady is a lesser athlete than Kirk and just as statuesque, but he has a keen FB mind, audibles based on the D he sees, is a leader, etc. Kirk is Kirk. He's not a leader, which is the #1 job of a winning QB - look at him after plays and on the sidelines. No leadership at all. If he were paid half of what he is, and the team could spend & draft a great team around him, he might be able to get to a SB. Heck, Trent Dilfer got to a SB (and won, thx to the D).
When you step back, there's a reason that in his entire NFL career, Kirk has gotten past the 1st round of the playoffs once. Heck, I may be forgetting, but I think he only has one playoff W (over NO, where he made a few big plays at the end, I'll agree, but look what happened the next week that year). The last drive and last play of yesterday's game were prototype Kirk - throw the checkdown when the season's on the line, which had no chance of working; then, seem a bit bothered, and trot to the sidelines and to the offseason. (Note: I am NOT saying he doesn't care; I'm saying IT's not in him.)
Both can be (and are) true - the Vikings D is terrible, and Kirk is a middle-tier QB. Kirk is a statue in the pocket who turns into a deer in headlights at times. To his credit, yesterday, he stood in a took a lot of hits & made some nice throws. But, did you notice any time where he slid in the pocket as he felt pressure? Nope. He is numb back there, which means he rarely extends a play to make a nice play or lemonade out of lemons (unless you love yourself some checkdowns). Tom Brady is a lesser athlete than Kirk and just as statuesque, but he has a keen FB mind, audibles based on the D he sees, is a leader, etc. Kirk is Kirk. He's not a leader, which is the #1 job of a winning QB - look at him after plays and on the sidelines. No leadership at all. If he were paid half of what he is, and the team could spend & draft a great team around him, he might be able to get to a SB. Heck, Trent Dilfer got to a SB (and won, thx to the D).
When you step back, there's a reason that in his entire NFL career, Kirk has gotten past the 1st round of the playoffs once. Heck, I may be forgetting, but I think he only has one playoff W (over NO, where he made a few big plays at the end, I'll agree, but look what happened the next week that year). The last drive and last play of yesterday's game were prototype Kirk - throw the checkdown when the season's on the line, which had no chance of working; then, seem a bit bothered, and trot to the sidelines and to the offseason. (Note: I am NOT saying he doesn't care; I'm saying IT's not in him.)
They were buried on the defensive depth chart before getting hurt.