Vikings Get Their Quarterback

When the new league year opens today and players can officially sign with new teams, the Minnesota Vikings should have a new quarterback. The usual cast of NFL insiders have reported that Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Washington Redskins, will sign a contract with the Vikings. He has a dinner date with team decision-makers tonight and a tour of their spectacular new facilities tomorrow. Somewhere in between or after he's supposed to sign that contract. It's a big contract. It's an historic contract. It's reported to be a three-year, $84 million deal. The $28 million average per year is the highest in league history. It's also reported to be the first completely guaranteed contract in league history. Kirk Cousins. History-maker. New Vikings quarterback.

If there were any doubts that this was a done deal those doubts ended when the other teams that were supposedly trying to sign Cousins started signing former Vikings quarterbacks:

Denver Broncos-Case Keenum
Arizona Cardinals-Sam Bradford
New York Jets-Teddy Bridgewater

As the Vikings found a new quarterback, their three former quarterbacks quickly found work elsewhere. Each would've been a fine choice to remain in Minnesota but each carries serious questions moving forward. Keenum was fantastic in leading the Vikings to the NFC Championship game but there's a concern that his season was an outlier. Bradford missed nearly all of the 2017 season to a knee injury and has battled injuries his entire career. Bridgewater hasn't taken a meaningful snap since the 2015 playoffs due to a brutal knee injury prior to the 2016 season. Each carries unknowns and the Vikings needed something known.

There were a few reasons that the Vikings made such an aggressive move to add Kirk Cousins.
-he's a proven, durable quarterback
-the Vikings are ready to win now
-he's a proven, durable quarterback
-they've had nothing approaching consistency at the position for too long
-he's a proven, durable quarterback

Since Cousins became the Redskins starter in 2015 he's started every game. The Vikings haven't opened the season with the same starting quarterback in back to back seasons since Christian Ponder did so in 2012 and 2013. That feels like a decade ago. In the three years that Cousins has been starting every game the Vikings have started four different quarterbacks. Consistency. The Vikings haven't had it at quarterback and they desperately need it. That's why they were willing to spend so much to add one player.

Just for giggles(maybe tears), here are the quarterbacks that have started games for the Vikings since the Wilf family bought the team in 2005.

Quarterback	Starts
Chrisitan Ponder	36
Brett Favre	29
Teddy Bridgewater	28
Brad Johnson	23
Tarvaris Jackson	20
Sam Bradford	17
Case Keenum	14
Gus Frerotte	11
Matt Cassel	9
Daunte Culpepper	7
Donovan McNabb	6
Kelly Holcomb	3
Joe Webb	2
Shaun Hill	1
Josh Freeman	1
Brooks Bollinger	1

That's not pretty. In that time the Green Bay Packers have trotted out either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers for nearly every game.

Consistency. The Vikings needed it at the quarterback position and Kirk Cousins will be brought in to provide it.