Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman on Wednesday gave a non-answer when he was asked point blank by NFL Network’s Rich Eisen if Kirk Cousins is good enough to lead a team to a Super Bowl.
“I think he’s a very talented quarterback,” Spielman said. “He has a lot of great qualities. I think he’s one of the most accurate throwers in the league. You watch some of the tape and some of the throws he makes under pressure. I think some of the other things he has to have a strong supporting cast around him.”
Spielman went on to mention how Cousins has made several plays to help the Vikings win close games including a 2019 playoff victory in New Orleans. He also cited the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles, who rode their roster to help Nick Foles lead them to the Super Bowl in relief of Carson Wentz.
“I think usually these quarterbacks where everything has to line up and everything has to be good for the quarterback where the team gets hot…anything can happen in this league,” Spielman said. “No matter who it is, you have to have everything lined up staying healthy and who knows what happens?”
You can watch Spielman’s entire appearance on The Rich Eisen Show in the video below, or go straight to his comments about Cousins at the 15:10 mark.
Spielman has a point but that scenario becomes harder thanks to Cousins’ contract. With a $45 million cap hit due in 2022, the Vikings’ ability to build a roster around Cousins is compromised.
But a new regime creates a layer of mystery. Spielman wasn’t sure what the hiring of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah meant for Cousins’ future in Minnesota. With the days ticking down until the start of the new league year, Spielman is in the same spot that Viking fans are in.
“I don’t know how the new regime feels about him. I know he has a working relationship with Kevin O’Connell…it will be interesting to see.”
However, early words from Adofo-Mensah suggest that his opinion of Cousins is similar to Spielman, as he noted at the NFL Combine on March 2 that Cousins is a terrific QB when “the odds are shifted in his favor.”
Meanwhile, the latest report about Cousins comes from CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who said Wednesday that he won’t be surprised if the Vikings trade Cousins and find a way to trade other high-priced veterans, including Adam Thielen, Dalvin Cook, Michael Pierce and Eric Kendricks.
