The Minnesota Vikings have not had a franchise quarterback in decades.
Their only quarterbacks in the Pro Football Hall of Fame are Fran Tarkenton who played in the 1960s and 70s and Warren Moon who played for the Vikings in the mid 90s after his more notorious stint with the Houston Oilers.
Prior to the NFL Draft, the Vikings’ quarterback roster consisted of 32-year-old starting quarterback Kirk Cousins and backup quarterbacks Nate Stanley, and Jake Brownley.
With the fabulous five college quarterbacks headlining the NFL draft, should the Vikings have traded up to get Justin Fields (who ultimately went to their division rival, the Chicago Bears)?
The answer is yes.
Here’s why.
Kirk Cousins Is The Starter
Vikings GM Rick Spielman after drafting Kellen Mond: "Right now, there's no question that Kirk Cousins is our quarterback"https://t.co/esI1dkPb3l pic.twitter.com/NerN0okdtq
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) May 5, 2021
As previously mentioned, the Vikings have not had a franchise quarterback in years.
Kirk Cousins, who will be 33 when the season begins, is not a franchise quarterback.
In 9 seasons (6 in Washington and 3 in Minnesota), he has a 51-51-2 record.
Cousins is not going to lead the Vikings to the Super Bowl.
He is an above average quarterback that can win some games but not Super Bowls.
The Vikings Obviously Wanted A Quarterback
The Vikings were prepared to take Justin Fields if he’d fallen to them at 14, per @CourtneyRCronin
Minnesota informed Kirk Cousins they would be considering a QB in the draft. pic.twitter.com/k29NIFdQZ6
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) May 3, 2021
With the 66th overall pick, they drafted Kellen Mond from Texas A & M.
Mond could end up being the franchise quarterback of the future, but there are concerns about his skill set.
Here is an excerpt from his Draft Network profile.
“Playing faster is sometimes needed, but he remains at the same pace. Decaying pockets can be challenging for him to escape and he waits too long to make that decision instead of correctly timing when, where, and how to exit the pocket in order to explore and create off-script opportunities. He shows great stages of poise, but will have plays where he makes questionable throws down the field in hopes of being bailed out by aggressive perimeter options.”
Maybe he will have a more productive and longer career than the fabulous five who went in the first round.
He was the Senior Bowl MVP and improved during his years as an Aggie.
Mond threw for over 9,600 yards.
He had 71 touchdowns and 27 interceptions.
NFC North Quarterbacks Could Be Top Notch In 2021
Trading up to prevent their NFC North rival, the Chicago Bears, from getting Ohio State’s Justin Fields would have been a smart plan.
To begin with, Fields is more of a sure bet to be a franchise quarterback than Mond.
Fields appears to be more NFL ready than Mond so he could compete with Cousins for the job.
If we believe that Jared Goff is the answer in Detroit and that Aaron Rodgers will be back in Green Bay, then all AFC North rivals have formidable quarterback talent.
Kirk Cousins is not a bad quarterback, but we have seen his best.
It was in 2016 with the Washington Redskins when he was named to the Pro Bowl; that was his peak.
He threw for 4,917 yards with 25 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
Cousins was also only sacked 23 times in 2016.
Justin Fields impact on the NFC North is just one of the interesting storylines to watch in the NFL this fall.
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