Justin Fields will begin his NFL career in the NFC North, with the Bears having traded up to land the Ohio State passer with hopes of ending their run of quarterback struggles. But one of Chicago’s top rivals was monitoring this situation.
After seeing Fields drop past the Panthers and Broncos at Nos. 8 and 9, the Vikings contacted teams about moving up for a quarterback. Fields was the primary target, according to ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. Although Minnesota has Kirk Cousins locked in through 2022, the team wanted to draft one of this year’s top QBs.
The Cowboys traded their No. 10 overall pick to the Eagles, who moved up for DeVonta Smith, and the Giants shipped their 11th overall choice to the Bears, scuttling the Vikings’ Fields hopes. While the Vikes sought to acquire one of the first-round-caliber QBs that did not go in the top three, they were not willing to give up the draft capital necessary for a player who would sit for at least one season, per Cronin.
[RELATED: Vikings Tried To Trade Up Twice In First Round]
A Vikings coach briefed Cousins ahead of the draft to prepare him for the prospect of a quarterback selection, Cronin adds. The team was prepared to select Fields, had he fallen No. 14. The Bears, however, beat them by three picks. It cost them a 2022 first-round pick to move up nine spots to No. 11, but it also denied their rivals a chance to create a Cousins-to-Fields QB transition.
That reality would have likely meant Fields sitting for at least one season. While the Bears hope to execute this strategy as well, it is unlikely Andy Dalton will keep Fields off the field for too long. The Vikings ended up selecting Kellen Mond near the top of the third round. Mond was the seventh quarterback off the board, with the Buccaneers ending Round 2 with their Kyle Trask selection. Mond is viewed as more of a developmental player than Fields and may not end up being a starter-level NFLer.
Rick Spielman said the Vikings tried to trade up from No. 14, and although he declined to specify the target, Cronin notes the team — presumably after Fields went to the Bears at 11 — eyed tackle Rashawn Slater. The left tackle-needy Chargers nabbed Slater at 13. Minnesota traded down to No. 23 and selected Virginia Tech tackle Christian Darrisaw.
Thanks to a clause in Cousins’ 2020 extension, his being on the roster on Day 3 of the 2021 league year guaranteed him $45MM in 2022. His run as Minnesota’s starter will almost certainly stretch to at least five seasons.
Lots of picks + Cousins= another 9-7 thereabout, season. Should have traded up/ We’ve all seen Cousins.
“We’ve all seen Cousins.”
Not with all three of the following together for one year:
1. A good OL (hasn’t really had one since 2016).
2. A good running game (never really had one in DC).
3. A good defense (also never had one in DC).
Not great, just looking for good.
Not too many QB’s get a good OL, good running game, and a good D in a season. They have to perform as well. Cousins is an average QB. nothing wrong with saying that. He’s earned close to $100m & good for him.
Though no Mahomes, Cousins is a slightly above average QB who put up career numbers last year and kept the Vikings in most games. The majority of their losses were under 5 points and were 100% the defense’s fault.
I’d argue that Cousins was better in 2019, even with the two ugly Packers games that year.
Cousins chokes in the big games, going all the way back to college. He won one bowl game in three, by default, after three OT periods. Go and watch that bowl game to see what an exercise in futility it is to have Cousins lead your offense (even if you get to the bowl/playoff game, you will lose).
Brady’s generally had all three when he’s won his rings. I think he’s had a mediocre running game on no more than one of the six Pats teams, but I’d have to check again. The Saints have had the running games and OL’s with at least above average defenses the last four years. The Steelers had all three from 2015-17.
Have to admit I can’t cite Seattle in the above list, not with their OL woes.
Thoughts and prayers for Justin fields, for not having Thielen, Cook and the almighty Justin Jefferson to start his career
Fields would have been great in Minnesota. His bust potential tripled the second he was drafted by Chicago.
And what difference has that really made for the Vikings? They still haven’t gotten over the hump. No defense, no chance.
That’s pretty funny considering the Bears with Trubisky were 5-1 versus the Vikes over the last 3 years!
Vikings didn’t try hard enough if they really thought Fields was a franchise QB. Dallas at 10 had conceded Devonta Smith was going to an NFC east team and moved their pick down for a 3rd. The difference in value between pick 12 and 14 is minimal for MIN to give up for a QB they like. At most it would have taken an extra 3rd.
Except Fields was gone by 12 so moving up wouldn’t have mattered at that point?
What amk means is for Dallas, moving from 10 to either 12 or 14 is pretty minor if the deal was better for 14
That’s why I was saying trading for the Cowboy’s pick was their opportunity to move up.
Imagine being outsmarted and out hustled by Ryan Pace
Outpayed is all Pace did, the Vikes could have probably matched but decided not to.
That’s if you’re taking these kind of articles as gospel. No one outside of those draft rooms, including this writer, knows the dynamics of those decisions when they were made. Heck, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Pace had laid the groundwork for this trade in the days before the draft even happened. That trade happened within 30 seconds of the Giant’s clock starting and the Vikings just may not have had the time to move.
I thought we knew this already? Isn’t this why the Bears had to give up so much? Or is the news that the Vikings specifically wanted Fields?
That seems to be the news, although the link is to a four-day old report that I read when the story first broke.
Vikings did better than the Packers and at least warned their starter that they might select a QB.
Trading up for a QB when you already have a franchise qb, is Jerry Krause the gm?
Why is this a story? What good does it do to report what a team thought about doing weeks after the draft? This just in: The Portland Trailblazers thought about taking Michael Jordan. Oh the possibilities.
This is a move teams will regret not making for years. Justin Fields falling that far is crazy. Good for the Bears but people have fallen in love with potential when they should have fallen in love with talent on the field. No disrespect but teams are hinging their hopes on guys that played nobody at the college level. Dbs working desk jobs or collecting trash covering guys they threw to. You know how tight a window an nfl qb has to throw into? Even Mac Jones who faced the sec the Pats better have better wrs than they’ve had because refrigerator perry could scramble better than he can.
I like cam but his check down receivers seem to be wearing other uniforms these days