Baker Mayfield

[cmoss84]

Baker vs. Kirk. Hmmmmm. Thoughts?

Would trading Cousins and getting Mayfield be considered a "competitive rebuild?"
His contract is nice. Only 27. He might also have a chip on his shoulder...especially if they are willing to trade him for cheap.

[Fat Stupid Loser]

Ummmmm. Ummmmm. I...uh.

[J. Kapp 11]

Baker vs. Kirk. Hmmmmm. Thoughts?

Would trading Cousins and getting Mayfield be considered a "competitive rebuild?"
His contract is nice. Only 27. He might also have a chip on his shoulder...especially if they are willing to trade him for cheap.

Do you understand that it is virtually impossible to trade Kirk Cousins?

If they trade him, the Vikings would have $50 million of dead cap on the books for four years. He also has a no-trade clause.

Cousins is the Vikings’ quarterback for the next two years, minimum.

[Frozen Rope]

Ummmmm. Ummmmm. I...uh.

You’re funny my man! Some of those posters on Extreme Skins talking about the Wentz pickup are hilarious.

[StumpHunter]

Baker vs. Kirk. Hmmmmm. Thoughts?

Would trading Cousins and getting Mayfield be considered a "competitive rebuild?"
His contract is nice. Only 27. He might also have a chip on his shoulder...especially if they are willing to trade him for cheap.

Do you understand that it is virtually impossible to trade Kirk Cousins?

If they trade him, the Vikings would have $50 million of dead cap on the books for four years. He also has a no-trade clause.

Cousins is the Vikings’ quarterback for the next two years, minimum.

It is actually much easier to trade Cousins now than it was prior to the extension and despite the added signing bonus, would still save the Vikings 10 million over the 45 million he was set to make in 2022 since the Vikings would only be on the hook for 35 million if he was traded. That 50 million number is only if he got cut.

Any team that traded for Cousins now would be on the hook for 15 million this year, 30 million next year or essentially a 2 year, 45 million contract. Based on the complete lack of interest shown in trading for Kirk this off season, and reports of the two most likely teams to trade for him (Cleveland and Carolina) laughing at the idea of a trade, that type of contract is probably what it would take to get anything higher than a 3rd for Kirk. At 2 years/45 million, a 2nd is a reasonable asking price for a solid, bridge QB.

As for the OP, I assume he is thinking a 3 team trade since Watson is still headed to Cleveland last time I checked.

[J. Kapp 11]

Do you understand that it is virtually impossible to trade Kirk Cousins?

If they trade him, the Vikings would have $50 million of dead cap on the books for four years. He also has a no-trade clause.

Cousins is the Vikings’ quarterback for the next two years, minimum.

It is actually much easier to trade Cousins now than it was prior to the extension and despite the added signing bonus, would still save the Vikings 10 million over the 45 million he was set to make in 2022 since the Vikings would only be on the hook for 35 million if he was traded. That 50 million number is only if he got cut.

Any team that traded for Cousins now would be on the hook for 15 million this year, 30 million next year or essentially a 2 year, 45 million contract. Based on the complete lack of interest shown in trading for Kirk this off season, and reports of the two most likely teams to trade for him (Cleveland and Carolina) laughing at the idea of a trade, that type of contract is probably what it would take to get anything higher than a 3rd for Kirk. At 2 years/45 million, a 2nd is a reasonable asking price for a solid, bridge QB.

As for the OP, I assume he is thinking a 3 team trade since Watson is still headed to Cleveland last time I checked.

Depends on which side you’re on.

Go to Spotrac and look at his deal. $50 million is in the form of a signing bonus. So if you’re another team, then yes, he’d be cheaper than he was. But if you’re the Vikings, the $50 million he’s getting in the form of signing bonus would be on the ledger for the next four years in the form of dead cap — $12.5 million a year. That makes trading Cousins a tough pill to swallow for the Vikings. Not to mention that Cousins has a no-trade clause.

If the Vikings were going to trade him, they would’ve done it before the extension, when they would’ve taken a 1-time dead cap hit of $10 million. And if the Browns had any brains, they’d have traded Mayfield before acquiring Watson.

But the Browns are idiots. They not only traded the world and gave $230 million guaranteed to a guy that may not play a down this year, but they also signed Jacoby Brissett to be his backup. They’ll be lucky to get a bag of dirty jockstraps for Baker Mayfield now that other teams know the Browns have no use for him. That’s especially true since his entire $18 million compensation for 2022 is salary. One way or another, Cleveland is going to end up paying most or all of that.

[CharVike]

Mayfield blows and that's why they needed to get a better option. He threw 17 TDs and 13 Ints. That puts you on the cut line. He was 6-8 for people that think a teams record is based on QB only. Defense was ranked 14th with 371 PA per PFF same as the Packers. I would imagine if he played on a team with a hunk of junk D like ours, 426 PA, his record would be much worse. Baker had another year 22 TD and 21 Ints. That's horrible. Never threw 30 TDs in his career. Of course to some 30+ TD passes is a bum. Part of that falls to Steph as some of Zim's BS offensive philosophy was sure to rub off on him. Run the clock of the wall and attempt FGs. That will never work unless you have an all time great defense. The Browns like us never had that. In the meantime Mayfield will hold the clipboard and beverage for lord Deshaun and provide emergency backup services in case any skeletons come running out of the closest. If people start getting paid to shut up they will come out looking for cash. Of course making 40++ million a year gives you plenty of cash bullets to fire at them. Having prior experience he'll sweep that stuff under the rug quickly before it gets out of hand.

[cmoss84]

Thank you all for your insight/opinions.

I am torn on this one. I kind of want to see how the new regime handles Cousins, but I also want to shed his salary and see where it can be better spent. To me...Baker + FA help on both sides of the ball will result in a better team than what we are rolling with now.

I would be shocked if a trade (or multiple trades) did happen. However...those of you who say Kirk is untradeable...I really think this is not true. There are a lot of smoke screens around the league. Teams not might be telling the truth...ya know? There is always a desperate team or two out there willing to overpay.

Do I think Mayfield is better than Cousins? No. But I do not think he is as big of a fall off as many of you think. Yes, Baker had 17 and 13 last year. He was also hurt for part of the season and threw the ball 150 less times than Kirk. The Browns are also a heavy-running team that scored 20 rushing TDs. I'll take his stats last year with a grain of salt. He might even still have room for growth or thrive if given a fresh start with a new team.

[cmoss84]

quick follow up...

FA still left IF we freed up Kirk and his contract:

Mathieu
Gilmore
Campbell
Hicks
D. Brown
Fischer

[J. Kapp 11]

Thank you all for your insight/opinions.

I am torn on this one. I kind of want to see how the new regime handles Cousins, but I also want to shed his salary and see where it can be better spent. To me...Baker + FA help on both sides of the ball will result in a better team than what we are rolling with now.

I would be shocked if a trade (or multiple trades) did happen. However...those of you who say Kirk is untradeable...I really think this is not true. There are a lot of smoke screens around the league. Teams not might be telling the truth...ya know? There is always a desperate team or two out there willing to overpay.

Do I think Mayfield is better than Cousins? No. But I do not think he is as big of a fall off as many of you think. Yes, Baker had 17 and 13 last year. He was also hurt for part of the season and threw the ball 150 less times than Kirk. The Browns are also a heavy-running team that scored 20 rushing TDs. I'll take his stats last year with a grain of salt. He might even still have room for growth or thrive if given a fresh start with a new team.

I’m not sure how much more clear I can make it.

Cousins’ restructure means that trading him would result in $50 million in dead cap. In other words, trading him now wouldn’t help the Vikings’ cap situation.

It’s not a matter of whether other teams would want him. It’s a matter of the cost being too high for the Vikings.

And I’m not sure why you keep bringing up the Browns. Are you not aware that they just traded 3 first-round draft picks for Deshaun Watson and signed him to a fully guaranteed $230 million contract?

It’s time for us fans to realize … the Vikings have made the decision to roll with Kirk Cousins for at least the next two years. It’s not going to change.

[CharVike]

quick follow up...

FA still left IF we freed up Kirk and his contract:

Mathieu
Gilmore
Campbell
Hicks
D. Brown
Fischer

Why were they tossed in the FA trash pile.

[CharVike]

quick follow up...

FA still left IF we freed up Kirk and his contract:

Mathieu
Gilmore
Campbell
Hicks
D. Brown
Fischer

Trae Waynes is still out there also. I'm sure he'll sign on the cheap side. He got 3 yr 42 million from the Bungals and basically sucked and was sent to the FA dump. Like Kirk he wants money also. This is a Speilman swing and a miss wasted 1st round pick. This is the normal outcome when Spielman, CB and draft are mentioned together.

[CharVike]

Do you understand that it is virtually impossible to trade Kirk Cousins?

If they trade him, the Vikings would have $50 million of dead cap on the books for four years. He also has a no-trade clause.

Cousins is the Vikings’ quarterback for the next two years, minimum.

It is actually much easier to trade Cousins now than it was prior to the extension and despite the added signing bonus, would still save the Vikings 10 million over the 45 million he was set to make in 2022 since the Vikings would only be on the hook for 35 million if he was traded. That 50 million number is only if he got cut.

Any team that traded for Cousins now would be on the hook for 15 million this year, 30 million next year or essentially a 2 year, 45 million contract. Based on the complete lack of interest shown in trading for Kirk this off season, and reports of the two most likely teams to trade for him (Cleveland and Carolina) laughing at the idea of a trade, that type of contract is probably what it would take to get anything higher than a 3rd for Kirk. At 2 years/45 million, a 2nd is a reasonable asking price for a solid, bridge QB.

As for the OP, I assume he is thinking a 3 team trade since Watson is still headed to Cleveland last time I checked.

likely teams to trade for him (Cleveland and Carolina) laughing at the idea of a trade. That's good news for us. Carolina traded for their Super Bowl guy last year Sam Darnold and he blows. They have shown zero ability to judge QB talent as shown below.
2018 Cam Newton (14) / Taylor Heinicke (1) / Kyle Allen (1)
2019 Kyle Allen (12) / Cam Newton (2) / Will Grier (2)
2020 Teddy Bridgewater (15) / P. J. Walker (1)
2021 Sam Darnold (11) / Cam Newton (5) / P. J. Walker (1)
P J Walker is there backup. Not much better than our stiff. 2 career TDs and 8 interceptions with 5 in one game and 3 in the next. Mannion is Johnny Unitas compared to this guy. Not much of a dual threat either 12 carries and 11 yards. That's worse than our slug. Cam will be back for a few snaps at some point. How can a GM even go into the season with that pile of crap. Why would a fan purchase a ticket to watch that? That might be the biggest question. Talk about boredom. They better fix that right now or they will be gone. Is it that hard to pick up the phone and do your job?

[fiestavike]

quick follow up...

FA still left IF we freed up Kirk and his contract:

Mathieu
Gilmore
Campbell
Hicks
D. Brown
Fischer

Trae Waynes is still out there also. I'm sure he'll sign on the cheap side. He got 3 yr 42 million from the Bungals and basically sucked and was sent to the FA dump. Like Kirk he wants money also. This is a Speilman swing and a miss wasted 1st round pick. This is the normal outcome when Spielman, CB and draft are mentioned together.

On the whole, I miss Rick. He had his shortcomings, but I listened to a whole bunch of Spielman interviews yesterday. He had made the rounds after getting canned, and I think the Vikings lost something meaningful in going from Rick to Kwesi. They lost something of their identity that I think served as a buoy, keeping them from sinking too low, and something of the character of the organization. If things don't work out with young Kwesi, I think there is a real chance this team becomes the Jets or the Lions.

[Texas Vike]

Trae Waynes is still out there also. I'm sure he'll sign on the cheap side. He got 3 yr 42 million from the Bungals and basically sucked and was sent to the FA dump. Like Kirk he wants money also. This is a Speilman swing and a miss wasted 1st round pick. This is the normal outcome when Spielman, CB and draft are mentioned together.

On the whole, I miss Rick. He had his shortcomings, but I listened to a whole bunch of Spielman interviews yesterday. He had made the rounds after getting canned, and I think the Vikings lost something meaningful in going from Rick to Kwesi. They lost something of their identity that I think served as a buoy, keeping them from sinking too low, and something of the character of the organization. If things don't work out with young Kwesi, I think there is a real chance this team becomes the Jets or the Lions.

I honestly can't tell if you are being sarcastic or serious. We were caught in an eddy with Rick Spielman. If we lost something of our identity by letting Spielman go, what was that identity? Bungling the QB position, failing at drafting 1st round CBs, amassing 7th round picks as an admission that the draft for you and your team is a total crap shoot? I'm glad to shed that identity.