The Panthers swung a trade for a quarterback last offseason in hopes of stabilizing their situation under center.
It sounds like Carolina could employ the very same strategy this spring.
The Panthers have been attached to Deshaun Watson in rumors for well over a year now, but the organization apparently is looking elsewhere within the pool of veteran quarterbacks. According to SKOR North’s Judd Zulgad, Carolina contacted the Minnesota Vikings about Kirk Cousins.
“Quarterback-desperate. Panicked, I’m sure,” Zulgad said on Monday’s “Purple Daily” podcast, as transcribed by Yahoo Sports. “I think if Matt Rhule and the Panthers don’t have a successful 2022, he’s probably going to be fired ’cause that has not worked out. They cast their lot, in 2021, with Sam Darnold — didn’t work out. And so I’ve heard that the Panthers … now the Vikings supposedly said ‘Hey, let’s put a pin in that conversation. We don’t plan to move him now.'”
It’s easy to see how things could change in a hurry for the Vikings about possibly moving Cousins. The 10-year veteran, who might be slightly above average, is set to account for $45 million (!) against the salary cap in the final year of his current contract. Furthermore, it’s anyone’s guess how much faith new Minnesota head coach Kevin O’Connell has in Cousins and Kellen Mond, a 2021 third-round pick, is waiting in the wings.
That said, the Panthers might want to think twice about trading for Cousins if they’re looking at him as a savior of sorts. The 33-year-old is fine, but adding him to a team that won five games in each of the last three seasons doesn’t sound like a recipe for success.
