Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins’ best option in 2018 free agency?

With rumors that the Minnesota Vikings could pursue Kirk Cousins in free agency, are they the best situation for the soon-to-be former Redskins quarterback?

It appeared as though the Minnesota Vikings were primed to represent the NFC at home for Super Bowl LII. Then, they ran into the underdog story of the decade in the Nick Foles-led Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game and, frankly, got smacked in the mouth. Now comes an interesting offseason for the Vikes.

For the most part, the Vikings roster that led them to their best season in recent memory will remain intact. However, the one area where there are big questions is a critical one: Quarterback. Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater and Case Keenum are all slated to hit the market as free agents this offseason.

And with reports that the latter will be allowed to test the market, it would make sense if one of the other two guys would be the starting quarterback come the beginning of the 2018 season. However, another name is starting to get tossed around, that of Kirk Cousins.

The Cousins saga with the Washington Redskins is finally coming to a close after the quarterback has played the past two seasons under the franchise tag. With Washington trading for Alex Smith, it’s certain that Cousins’ time in the nation’s capital is coming to a close. As such, suitors for the quarterback have been tossed around endlessly. One new contender, though, is the Vikings.

According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, the Vikings are going to be one of the teams that make a run at Kirk Cousins in 2018 free agency:

Teams such as the Denver Broncos, New York Jets and plenty of others are also expected to be in the mix. But looking at the field that could make a run at Cousins, it’s entirely possible that Minnesota would be the best option for the quarterback.

In terms of the money, the Vikings have cap room to work with. Per Over The Cap, they already have upwards of $49 million in cap space this offseason. What’s more, there are a few contracts that they could shed to create a bit more room (Andrew Sendejo comes to mind). Thus, the money to land the high-priced quarterback in free agency won’t be an issue.

When you consider Cousins’ options in terms of what situation he would go to, though, the Vikings are the clear-cut top choice. A supporting cast that consists of Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen and even Kyle Rudolph is enticing in itself, especially behind an at-least-serviceable offensive line. However, when you then factor in the fact that Minnesota’s defense is oft-considered one of the best in the league, they become a glimmering destination for Cousins.

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Granted, there is little precedent for this situation, both in terms of Cousins’ saga in Washington leading to this point and the Vikings in their position being without a quarterback. However, when you put the pieces together of Minnesota’s need and situation surrounding whatever signal-caller they choose to bring in, it’d be hard for Cousins to turn them down if they come strong in free agency.