The Minnesota Vikings missed the playoffs yet again this season with a losing record of 8-9.
That meant change was in order and the firing of head coach Mike Zimmer seemed inevitable.
But the organization took it a step further by also firing GM Rick Spielman.
Statement from the #Vikings ownership group pic.twitter.com/QoCsknmhzB
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) January 10, 2022
Zimmer had been the head coach since 2014 and Spielman had been with the organization in some capacity since 2006.
A major shift in organizational philosophy is coming and whoever is hired has one major question still to answer.
What should the team do with Kirk Cousins?
Answering The Kirk Cousins Question
This may be the biggest question of all.
Cousins has one year remaining on his deal and is owed $35 million.
He also carries a $45 million dead cap value, so he isn’t going to be cut.
The simplest option is just to keep him around.
That provides some stability for a new coach and GM as they plot out the future of the position.
Cousins did throw 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions, so it’s not like he was a huge liability throughout the year.
The problem in Minnesota was losing so many one-score games, which speaks to Zimmer losing his job.
The other option with Cousins is to seek out a trade partner to take on his salary.
The next #Vikings regime now must figure out how to handle the QB situation, with Kirk Cousins entering the final year of his deal worth $35 million guaranteed.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) January 10, 2022
That could come into play if a new GM makes it clear he wants to choose his own quarterback from the start.
If they do keep him around, talks of another extension will come into play as well.
There are a lot of moving parts in Minnesota and ownership decided to start over as soon as possible.
That allows the new hires, whenever they are made, to get right to work on planning for the draft and figuring out the Cousins situation.
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