The Minnesota Vikings‘ QB drama continued through the NFL Combine, including the most recent development of the franchise getting into trade conversations for one of the most high-profile signal-callers on the market.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on Sunday, March 3, added the Vikings to the short list of teams interested in trading for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
“Chicago will need multiple teams in the fray to drive a market, and after asking around, I expect Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Minnesota to be on Fields’ radar,” Fowler reported.
Vikings Want Kirk Cousins Back, but Sides Remain Far Apart on Price
Fowler’s ESPN colleague Dan Graziano reported that Minnesota’s first choice is re-signing Kirk Cousins, but he added that the Vikings and their starter of six years remain far apart in contract negotiations.
“The sense I’m getting is Minnesota still wants quarterback Kirk Cousins to return, but Cousins has a very specific idea in mind for what he wants in a new contract, and the Vikings so far have not made an offer that matches it,” Graziano wrote. “The ball might be in the team’s court at this point. Cousins and his family like Minnesota and would be happy to stay and finish his career there, but it doesn’t sound like he’s willing to offer the team a hometown discount.”
Spotrac projects Cousins’ market value at north of $118 million over the next three years, and he is likely to push for a full guarantee on much — if not all — of that money, which is a sticking point for the Vikings. Cousins has earned $185 million from Minnesota across three separate deals spanning the past six seasons and has never played on anything other than a fully-guaranteed contract since joining the organization.
Justin Fields Offers Vikings Younger, Cheaper Option Than Kirk Cousins
Fields will be a far less expensive option, at least for the next two seasons, as he plays out the string on his rookie contract.
The Bears QB is entering the fourth year of his initial deal, which is worth just shy of $19 million in total. If the Vikings trade for the former No. 11 overall pick, they can exercise a fifth-year team option that keeps Fields under contract through 2025 at the cost of $25.7 million.
After that, Minnesota could be looking at a monster investment to keep Fields around, as Spotrac projects his market value at north of $283 million over a new six-year contract. However, the Vikings would also have the option to apply the franchise tag to Fields and hold onto him for the 2026 campaign on a pricey one-year deal, which would come in at well over $50 million (Fields’ tag would be the average of the NFL’s top five salaries at the position at the time Minnesota applies it).
Fields is also considerably younger than Cousins and thereby more compatible with the timelines of Minnesota’s primary offensive playmakers. Fields will play in 2024 at the age of 25, while Cousins will begin the year at 36. Cousins is also coming off of an Achilles rupture in Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, which is far and away the most serious injury across his dozen seasons in the NFL.
Fields has similar arm talent to Cousins, though he has never produced statistically as a passer in the same fashion. However, Fields has room to develop and improve, while Cousins’ prime is decidedly behind him. Fields also brings rushing and escapability elements to the table that Cousins simply can’t match.
