The Minnesota Vikings are likely to see some justice in the NFL’s tampering case against the Atlanta Falcons involving Kirk Cousins, but they are unlikely to benefit from it.
Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune wrote a mailbag on Tuesday, May 7, laying out a frequent “misconception” among some reporters that the NFL will compel a selection swap between the Vikings and Falcons as punishment for the alleged meddling.
Whatever the punishment, I don’t believe it will have a direct influence on the Vikings other than potentially pushing them up a draft slot because the Falcons had to sacrifice a selection or two.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy stated that the league’s inquiry is still ongoing. There is precedent to suppose that a punishment would only affect the Falcons, as the [Miami] Dolphins forfeited numerous draft picks after the league discovered they tampered with quarterback Tom Brady and head coach Sean Payton.
There appears to be a misconception that the Vikings might exchange choices, as the [Arizona] Cardinals and [Philadelphia] Eagles did in a tampering case involving Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon. However, the Cardinals self-reported the breach, and the two teams reached an agreement. In this case, Cousins stated at a news conference that he talked with Falcons officials before it was permitted.
The Vikings informed Kirk Cousins that they will most likely select quarterback high in the NFL draft.
According to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Vikings informed Cousins that they planned to draft a quarterback in 2024, which appears to have contributed to his desire to change teams, as well as the amount of money Atlanta was willing to offer/guarantee on his new contract — $180 million over four years with $90 million fully guaranteed, per Over The Cap.
However, Cousins was unable to avoid the impending possibility of a rookie quarterback taken in the top ten by leaving Minnesota for Atlanta, as the Falcons made the surprising selection of former Washington signal-caller Michael Penix Jr. at No. 8 overall in late April.
“I completely understand if Kirk Cousins is still stinging from the whole situation. Here’s why — one of the reasons he opted to leave Minnesota was that the Vikings were extremely upfront with the 35-year-old about the prospect that, even if he stayed, they’d choose a quarterback of the future early in the draft,” Breer said. “Tying that together with the [Vikings’] willingness to guarantee part, but not all, of a second year on another contract, Cousins figured that, if he stayed, there was a good shot that he’d be on the move in 2025.”
As it turned out, the Vikings were at least open with the quarterback about their plans, but Cousins was as surprised as everyone else when the Falcons selected Penix with the eighth choice.
Quarterback J.J. McCarthy ushers in a new era for the Vikings
In the end, Atlanta will pay a substantial price if the NFL determines that the organization did, in fact, interfere with Cousins – Minnesota will not benefit from that discipline in any meaningful way.
However, the Vikings selected McCarthy with the 10th overall pick and did not have to trade any first-round assets (other than the 11th pick) to accomplish this. All things considered, that is a significant victory for the franchise.
Minnesota’s brass has made it clear that McCarthy will not be rushed into a starting role, which might result in a complete year of Sam Darnold under centre. But, sooner rather than later, the McCarthy era will begin in Minneapolis, possibly around the same time Cousins’ NFL career comes to an end.
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