On Thursday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell announced they may bench quarterback Nick Mullens and begin rookie Jaren Corridor Sunday towards the Inexperienced Bay Packers. The transfer highlights their dysfunction at crucial place and why they need to take into account re-signing Kirk Cousins.
Earlier than he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in a Week 8 win towards the Packers, Cousins excelled, finishing 69.5 p.c of his passes for two,331 yards, 18 TDs, 5 picks, and an excellent 108.3 passer score. The four-time Professional Bowler is on a one-year, $35M contract. Per Spotrac, his market worth is a three-year deal value $39.6M.
Giving the 35-year-old a brand new deal carries come threat. Per The Athletic’s Greg Scholz, it will probably take six months to totally recuperate from an Achilles tear, and “older athletes are likely to have longer restoration occasions.”
Nonetheless, the Vikings (7-8) have misplaced 4 of their final 5 video games and fallen out of playoff rivalry resulting from inconsistent QB play. In 4 begins, backup QB Joshua Dobbs went 2-2 and threw the identical quantity of TDs and interceptions (five). Mullens went 0-2 and had extra picks (six) than TDs (4).
Corridor — a fifth-round pick of BYU — began in Week 9 towards the Atlanta Falcons. He accomplished 5-of-6 passes for 78 yards earlier than exiting with a concussion. Do not be shocked if he struggles towards the Packers (7-8), who’ve received 4 of their final six.
“It is undoubtedly robust with out him being there,” star extensive receiver Justin Jefferson mentioned in a Wednesday news conference. “His management. His data of the sport. His consciousness. There’s undoubtedly one thing lacking not having that essential piece on the market on the desk.”
Although questions on his future linger, it is clear Minnesota wants Cousins to reclaim the NFC North subsequent season.