Dobbs, Mullens performances shouldn't influence Vikings future QB decision

Calls for Cousins' return are getting louder as Vikings' backup quarterbacks struggle

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By Matthew Coller

Backup quarterbacks have a way of messing with our minds.

They make us believe that the same coaching staff that led a top 10 offense through its first 25 games suddenly doesn’t know how to work to the players’ strengths. They make us think that scheming up an explosive passing offense is the wrong route and running 30 times was actually the right answer. They make us beg for competency.

So it’s a natural reaction to watch the Minnesota Vikings lose to the Detroit Lions on Sunday via four Nick Mullens interceptions and want to pull out a blank check and slide it across the table to Kirk Cousins.

Imagine if they just had Kirk, right? All of their losses since Cousins went down have come by six points or less and during that span Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens have racked up nine INTs and eight fumbles in six starts.

If we are adding this all up, it sounds like all the Vikings need is to go from backup-caliber QB play to Cousins and then they’ll be a Super Bowl contender.

Wait, where have we heard that one before?

Oh yeah. Following the 2017 season in which Case Keenum guided the Vikings to the NFC Championship, only to get their doors blown off by the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings believed they would drop Cousins into the fray and then, poof, and raise the Lombardi Trophy. The Vikings made Cousins the highest paid QB in history by guaranteed money and then won one playoff game in the next five seasons.

Certainly there are different circumstances. The offensive line is better. The coach leans on Cousins’ accuracy and anticipation as a thrower.

He is also much older and coming off an Achilles injury.

The Vikings’ decision regarding Cousins should be made completely independent of what we have seen from the backups over the last six weeks. Their goal isn’t to have better quarterback play than Dobbs and Mullens, it’s to build a Super Bowl champion.

How many teams chase competent quarterback play and get stuck in the middle? How about the New Orleans Saints, who went all in on Derek Carr because they grew tired of watching Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston? The Browns sold their soul for DeShaun Watson because Baker Mayfield didn’t work out. The Giants extended Daniel Jones because he won a playoff game and was better than most backups.

Did we forget that the Vikings were 4-4 when Cousins went down? Or that pesky fourth-and-8 checkdown? Or the ugly games against Carolina and Chicago that preceded his great showings versus San Francisco and Green Bay?

But what about Justin Jefferson? He loves Cousins and they want him to sign an extension this offseason. Well, certainly JJ is aware that they won zero playoff games together.

Jefferson isn’t leaving because of the QB decision. That’s your Minnesota sports trauma talking. The NFL sets up the CBA for teams to keep their superstar first-round picks. If Jefferson truly wanted out, he would have to grind through two franchise tags first. No amount of skipping camp or making noise would compel the Vikings to let him walk.

And why do we think that only one quarterback on earth can throw Jefferson the ball? Did we not just see him single-handedly take over the game against the Lions despite the throwing stylings of Mullens? They scored on a 75-yard drive based only on passes to JJ and then he converted a third-and-27 by climbing the ladder like Anthony Edwards to make a grab. Nobody else can chuck passes his way without tossing four picks in the process?

None of this is to downplay Cousins’ ability as a quarterback. He has a 50-37-1 record and 101.2 QB rating since joining the Vikings. There are few humans walking around on the planet who can command an offense the way he can. By The Athletic’s poll of front office people and coaches last year, he was ranked as the 12th best QB in football.

But the NFL is as much about economics as it is talent. The Vikings’ front office has to weigh whether they can build a Super Bowl-caliber roster around another big contract and they have to project forward what a 36-year-old quarterback will be able to do going forward.

The less discussed part of the last two losses is that the Vikings’ defense has given up 57 points when tasked with playing against teams that have elite weapons. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins Moss’d them all over the field and Amon-Ra St. Brown racked up 12 receptions.

The leading pass rusher on the team, Danielle Hunter, has 72 QB pressures. The next best has just 38. Both players are free agents.

Jefferson and Hunter aren’t the only players who need contracts. Christian Darrisaw can be extended next offseason too.

Are they going to pay Dalton Risner? He has solidified the pass blocking in ways that no left guard has since… who even knows. Quality left guards cost $10 million-plus per year.

KJ Osborn is also a free agent. You might not think he’s Jake Reed but he has 46 catches for 531 yards this year. Maybe Brandon Powell could replace him but Powell is a free agent too.

The Vikings likely need help in the cornerback room and they could use another running back.

Is Harrison Smith retiring? If he does, they might prefer a veteran free agent to moving Josh Metellus out of the hybrid role.

Jordan Hicks is a free agent. He’s been terrific this year.

Jonathan Bullard is a free agent. He’s played 553 snaps on the D-line and solidified the run defense.

There is no doubt that Brian Flores has maximized the defense but if you look around the league’s top defenses they are filled with superstars. The Vikings 2017 defense had Pro Bowlers at defensive end (x2), linebacker (x2), cornerback and safety. It will be extremely difficult to stack up the defense without being able to spend outside of bargain shopping in free agency — just ask the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Vikings defenses.

It’s possible Cousins would be interested in taking a pay cut but there will be a number of teams that need a veteran quarterback next season. Specifically the Raiders, Falcons and Steelers could argue that they would have been contenders with legit QB play.

When it comes to the recent history of teams moving on from their quarterbacks, there are more hits than misses. The Eagles were criticized for drafting Jalen Hurts when they still had Carson Wentz. The Raiders were better off parting ways with Derek Carr. Seattle made the right choice in moving on from Russell Wilson. The 49ers made the right call letting Jimmy Garoppolo walk. The Packers did the right thing with Aaron Rodgers. The Falcons picked the correct time to trade Matt Ryan.

Going back a few years, the Chiefs Alex Smith to Mahomes transition worked out pretty well as did Buffalo going from Tyrod Taylor to Josh Allen and Baltimore letting go of Joe Flacco for Lamar Jackson.

Is it always the right move to part ways with an expensive veteran? Certainly not. The Lions are happy that they didn’t trade Jared Goff elsewhere after they struggled in 2021. The Cowboys have gotten the most out of Dak Prescott and lead the NFC in scoring. Los Angeles has restocked their roster around Matthew Stafford quickly and have fought their way back to the playoffs.

Make no mistake, the Vikings’ QB of the Future decision won’t be an easy one. With the bones on offense of a potential powerhouse, the wrong choice could get them stuck behind the other teams in the NFC North. The right choice could put them back in championship weekend.

Whether that right choice is Kirk Cousins or not is hard to say for certain. But the Vikings need to make that decision based on cost, projected performance, roster building and the chances they can turn a “competitive rebuild” club into a Super Bowl contender. They should not make that call as a reaction to watching journeyman quarterbacks struggle to recreate Cousins’ play.

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