Give people the choice between Kirk Cousins and Gardner Minshew to be their team’s starting quarterback and it’s a good bet that most will go with Cousins. Dan Patrick is in the crowd of people who would prefer Minshew.
Patrick was asked on his show Tuesday if the Colts make sense as a possible trade partner with the Vikings for Cousins since rookie Anthony Richardson is out for an extended stretch because of a shoulder injury.
“No, I’d rather have Gardner Minshew,” Patrick answered. “Yeah, he’s cheap. I don’t want to go out there and spend more money. I mean, is Kirk D. Cousins that much of an upgrade over Gardner Minshew? I mean, you got Jonathan Taylor back, you do have some skill position players and you’re right, that is a winnable division, but I would still expect Jacksonville to be the team [in the AFC South].”
Let’s do the numbers thing with Cousins and Minshew…
- Cousins: 137 of 204 (67.2%) for 1,498 yards, 13 TD, 4 INT
- Minshew: 57 of 83 (68.78%) for 553 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Cousins leads the NFL in completions, attempts and touchdown passes while Minshew has played in every game but made just one start for the Colts. Minshew is obviously a credible backup quarterback but he’s been the No. 2 in Jacksonville, Philadelphia and now Indianapolis. Cousins has been a starter his entire career and he’s usually considered one of the 10-15 best in the league.
It’s all fun to discuss until you realize Cousins has a no-trade clause and he’d have to waive it to be dealt anywhere, much less an Indy club that isn’t considered a true contender.
Patrick then contemplated the Buccaneers as a potential Cousins suitor.
“Tampa has Baker Mayfield. If you fool some people and you win 7 or 8 games, great. But, you know, it doesn’t matter. I’d rather see if you have something in Baker Mayfield longer term than Kirk D. Cousins, but who’s gonna trade for him and what are you going to give up? I mean, does Minnesota even have a legitimate backup quarterback? Is it Nick Mullens, who used to be with the 49ers?”
Yes, it is Mullens when he’s healthy. Mullens was inactive for Sunday’s Vikings-Chiefs game because of a back injury and there’s no indication that Mullens will be available as the backup this week when the Vikings face the Bears in Chicago. That means the backup is rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall.
Patrick later admitted that a team that trades for Cousins is getting a “bargain” at this point in the season.
“I mean that’s a bargain if you want to get somebody. And the trade deadline comes at the end of the month so you have to make a decision relatively soon,” Patrick said.
The trade deadline hits on Oct. 31.
