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There are reportedly just four contenders left in the running in the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes: the New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals. But according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, the feeling within the Jets is that one team has the upper hand over all the rest in terms of landing the much-coveted quarterback: the Vikings.
Despite their willingness to throw a truckload of money and a heavily front-loaded contract at Cousins in an attempt to lure the free agent franchise quarterback to New York, the Jets are worried he might already be destined to sign with the Vikings instead. According to a team source, they are aware of the league-wide speculation that Cousins is ticketed for Minnesota and they are taking that threat seriously after some informal, preliminary talks with his camp this week.
Cousins’ interest in the Vikings shouldn’t be considered much of a shock given his stated desire to be on a winning team.
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Minnesota was just a win away from going to the Super Bowl last season despite starting a backup-caliber quarterback in Case Keenum for most of the season. With an excellent defense and talented skill position players already in place, Cousins’ addition to the Vikings could be the move that finally gets them over the top.
Despite their strong interest in Cousins and the massive contract they could give him, the Jets clearly can’t compete with the other three teams in terms of being competitive quickly, which made them seem like long shots to land him.
With Cousins getting closer to spurning New York, that should force the Jets to change their plans at quarterback and possibly focus on finding their future starter via the draft as opposed to free agency. Given how far away the rest of the roster is from being competitive, it certainly makes a bit more sense to look for a longer-term option at the position.
