The Vikings’ latest fumble-laden effort on Thursday night in Philadelphia dropped them to 0-2 and fueled the discussion of Minnesota trading quarterback Kirk Cousins to the Jets. The Cousins to New York talker was floated moments after Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles’ tore on Monday night and by Friday morning what started as an idea being floated on social media had become a raging inferno of reckless speculation on ESPN’s morning show.
Considering all the excitement that surrounded the Jets, it’s not surprising that ESPN and “Get Up” host Mike Greenberg, a lifelong Jets fanatic, would embrace the opportunity to try to find a way to get Cousins to New York.
The fact Cousins is in the final year of his contract only fuels this fire. But there is one major sticking point: Cousins has a no-trade clause and it’s hard to see him waiving that to play in New York. Cousins is about as un-New York as it gets and, judging from what we saw on the Nextflix docu-series “Quarterback,” doesn’t seem like he would be interested in uprooting his family and moving to the East Coast. Cousins also is meticulous in his planning and is about as professionally unspontaneous as it gets.
Before you accuse me of being a killjoy, let me suggest there might be another Vikings player who would be open to being moved despite the fact he also has a no-trade clause.
That would be Danielle Hunter.
In the midst of the Vikings’ run defense failing miserably to stop the Eagles, Hunter showed again that he remains a premier pass rusher at the age of 28. He sacked Jalen Hurts three times and has four in the first two games. Hunter had a team-leading 10.5 sacks for the Vikings last year, but didn’t reach his fourth until eight games into the season.
Hunter, like Cousins, is in the final season of his contract and could land the Vikings a nice return when it comes to draft pick compensation. So why would Hunter agree to a trade? There are a few reasons.
Hunter showed up for training camp but began it by staging a “hold-in,” meaning that he avoided being fined by being in the Vikings’ building but he did not take part in practices. That ended when Hunter agreed to what amounted to a one-year contract. Instead of making a $4.9 million base salary, Hunter was guaranteed $17 million with up to $3 million in incentives.
But Hunter is set to become a free agent in March and the new contract states that the Vikings can’t put the franchise tag on him. With tight end T.J. Hockenson having just signed an extension, and the monster second deal for wide receiver Justin Jefferson still waiting to be done, there likely won’t be enough money to keep Hunter and the Vikings might be hesitant to extend a veteran who missed all of 2020 and part of 2021 because of injuries.
Hunter, meanwhile, likely would be more willing than Cousins to make an in-season move to a contender, especially if the Vikings’ woes continue. The NFL trade deadline is Oct. 31, two days after the Vikings play their eighth game of the season and a point where Minnesota will know whether there is any hope.
Why would Hunter accept a trade?
The answer starts with the fact that Cousins would have to learn a new offense on the fly if he went to the Jets. Hunter’s main job would be to pursue quarterbacks and while he would have to familiarize himself with a new scheme, he wouldn’t have to lead it like Cousins would.
Hunter also would seem much more likely to be open to having his agent attempt to reach a long-term deal with a new team. Cousins made it clear in the spring that any contract negotiations wouldn’t take place again until free agency opens in March. Hunter has been looking to get the security of a rich contract extension — something Cousins has achieved several times with the Vikings — since he signed an undervalued second deal in Minnesota.
Odds are high that both Cousins and Hunter spend the season in purple. Other than trading defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to Baltimore in October 2020 for two draft picks, the Vikings under owners Zygi and Mark Wilf rarely oversee moves that potentially weaken the team for the sake of the future.
But if the Vikings look to move a top player in order to get a high pick, and maybe help their chances of getting worse in order to land a top quarterback in the 2024 draft, Hunter is the betting favorite to be the guy leaving town.
Judd Zulgad is co-host of the Purple Daily Podcast and Mackey & Judd podcast at www.skornorth.com