If Garoppolo Is In-Play For Vikings, So Is Deshaun Watson

Eagan MN

04 February, 2021

4:46 AM

Description

Press release from purplePTSD: February 3, 2021 Before dragging the Minnesota Vikings into it, the NFL had at least three titillating quarterback dramas in the making for the 2021 offseason. The first is Dak Prescott's undying chronicle of employment. When or will Jerry Jones alas empty the piggybank for one of the league's Top 10 quarterbacks? Outside of Dallas city limits, this is a no-brainer. Yes, the Cowboys should marry the 27-year-old Prescott. He's fantastic. But Jones marches to the beat of a different pair of spurs. Next – the Matthew Stafford divorce from Detroit took over headlines last week. A new regime is cleaning house, instituting bizarre press conferences, and decided to leverage the equity of a longtime franchise quarterback. This one resolved at a breakneck velocity. Stafford was traded to the Los Angeles Rams for a gridiron Hope Diamond last weekend. Detroit netted three high-round draft picks and Jared Goff in the Stafford exchange, a sum unforeseen by most pundits. The Lions are stocked with succulent draft capital and a decent young quarterback. As for the main event, Deshaun Watson is the domino yet to fall. He suffered disillusionment with the Houston Texans brass and nominated himself as the main character in a movie that is ending. After four seasons, the Deshaun Watson era is dwindling in southeast Texas. Other than the underbelly of Twitter, Watson had no genuine ties to Vikings trade-talks. Why? Because the Vikings have a quarterback. Kirk Cousins was ascertained by Minnesota three years ago and since plopped quarterback stability into the laps of Vikings fans. Evidently, Vikings faithful want to stand up and stretch. Cousins became a semi-real piece of trade bait after the San Francisco 49ers allegedly expressed interest. The Vikings have not confirmed or denied the legitimacy of any trade talks regarding Cousins to date. If general management does, in fact, comment on the Cousins matter – who will believe it? Stefon Diggs was proclaimed as quasi-untradeable in 2020. Diggs was traded soon after the verbal reassurances. If Cousins is truly on the trade block, Watson should be the target and not some 49ers mashup of trade assets. Cousins Expendable Would Be the Takeaway The single-most crucial component of the Cousins-49ers trade scuttlebutt is Cousins' standing within the Vikings organization. If there is any truth to the Evan Massey or Ross Tucker declarations that San Francisco is kissing Cousins, it would signify that the Vikings quarterback is pseudo-expendable. That fact is [or would be] a total game-changer. Up until now, most Vikings brains acted under the pretense that Cousins is general manager Rick Spielman's prized possession, and that Spielman is unlikely to throw in the towel. Should that hypothesis lack validity, the entire scope of the Vikings offense gets fundamentally flipped on its cranium. For the remainder of this saga, search for clues on Minnesota's internal commitment to Cousins. If that commentary is wishy-washy, then this thing has legs. Goal is Franchise QB – Then Get One Provided those Cousins-related breadcrumbs hit the pavement (yes, that is a large assumption), speculation will skyrocket. The current fodder about a Cousins-Garoppolo swap should be perceived as an entry-level starter kit if Cousins is moving on. Garoppolo has been appealing at specific spots in his career, but he has never strung together consecutive seasons of consistent output [as has Cousins]. The lens on Garoppolo is translucent. He might turn out to be a swell quarterback. Or he could continue on his Marcus Mariota-like pace. Jimmy Garoppolo has started 32 games in his career. Thru First 32 Career Starts:Jimmy Garoppolo–7,830 Passing Yards 49 Passing TDs 26 INTs2 Rushing TDs Marcus Mariota–7,342 Passing Yards49 Passing TDs 23 INTs7 Rushing TDs — Dustin Baker (@DustBaker) February 2, 2021 Minnesota should have zero interest in downgrading from Cousins just because some 1st-Round draft picks cause arousal. Mike Zimmer is not guaranteed to see 2022 by most credible reports, so his end-game is to win now – in 2021. Winning with Garoppolo is a "maybe" due to his injury history. Using one of the assumptive draft picks on a rookie quarterback that plays Week 1 in 2021 does not allot Zimmer much leeway. Either commit to Zimmer behind closed doors for beyond-2021 or find an upgrade to Cousins. Rolling with Cousins-lite in Garoppolo is an odd strategy for a win-now team. Swing for the fences. Pandora's Box Rarely Opens This Wide Top 5 quarterbacks (Watson) rarely hit the open market. In this case, the market is of the trade variety. The best offer outside of the AFC South will be identified and seized. Watson is younger than Dalvin Cook and Danielle Hunter. He is seven years the junior to Cousins. If the Vikings are in the business of closing the book on Cousins, a verifiable commodity such as Watson will never be more available than now. Watson has the second-highest passer rating ever behind AFC-mate, Patrick Mahomes. For football speak, it is borderline apocalyptic that he is available for trade. Supposing any of the Cousins-trade momentum is remotely real, Spielman should use San Francisco as a pawn to land Watson — or a vehicle to drive a multiple-team trade that slaps white horns on Watson's helmet for the next 15 years. This press release was produced by purplePTSD. The views expressed here are the author's own.