The 2023 NFL season may only be a month old, but there is going to have to be a sense of urgency from all 32 teams. Why's that?
Well, the trade deadline takes place on Halloween (Oct. 31) at 4:00 p.m. ET. So, teams will have to determine whether they need to go all-in to make a push for the playoffs or decide it would be best to sell off players as a way to accelerate their rebuild.
For teams that need a quarterback, one name that will be talked about in the coming weeks is Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins is in the final year of his contract, and there has been no progress or talk of a contract extension being close. But The Athletic's Dianna Russini reports that the team has "no plans" to trade the quarterback as of now.
But, if things continue to spiral out of control, you'd best believe that the team might consider getting some assets for Cousins.
Some teams may just be an injury away to their starting quarterback away from considering making a move for Cousins. Here are three that stick out as options who could hypothetically make a move for the quarterback.
NFL Rumors: 3 Kirk Cousins trade fits just an injury away from happening
3. New York Jets
The New York Jets are an obvious option. The team entered the season with high hopes and playoff expectations after they acquired Aaron Rodgers from the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately for them, Rodgers ruptured his Achilles on his fourth official play with the team. While Rodgers promises to return this season, it's unlikely that it is going to happen.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh has expressed faith in 2021 second-overall pick Zach Wilson since Rodgers was hurt. While there were some struggles in Weeks 2 and 3, Wilson did play the game of his career against the Kansas City Chiefs. But what if he were to suffer an injury?
Well, if the Jets are still in the playoff hunt and not completely out of it, bringing in Cousins for the rest of the year does make sense. It would give them the chance to at least put up a fight against teams like the Buffalo Bills or Miami Dolphins in the division. Yes, they did sign Trevor Siemian, who is probably one of the top backups available, but would he lead the team to nine wins?
Given the Jets' desire to stick with Wilson, who knows offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett's playbook, it seems like they are going to stand pat ad wait for Rodgers to return next year to make their Super Bowl push.
2. Los Angeles Rams
One team that has surprised plenty this season is the Los Angeles Rams. After missing out on the playoffs last year, many had expected that the Rams' struggles would carry over into the 2023 campaign. Instead, the team is 2-2 on the year and has had some young stars emerge in wide receiver Puka Nacua and running back Kyren Williams.
Thus far, the Rams look like they are far away from being a rebuilding team. But what would happen if something were to happen to quarterback Matthew Stafford?
There were trade rumors surrounding Stafford this offseason, but the team denied them and reiterated that he will be their quarterback this year. Thus far, Stafford has thrown for 1,229 yards, three touchdowns, and five interceptions while recording 103 completions on a league-high 166 attempts.
Cousins entering Los Angeles would not be a weird fit. He just so happens to know of head coach Sean McVay, dating back to their time with the now-Washington Commanders. Cousins was a fourth-round pick in 2012, while McVay became his offensive coordinator from 2014 until 2016.
Since the two know each other and what works between the two dating back to their time in Washington, giving the Vikings a call for Cousins would make sense. It's not like the Rams value draft capital, as evidenced by their willingness to part with it to help build a contender.
1. Buffalo Bills
Is there a team that is more in trouble if the Buffalo Bills were to lose Josh Allen to injury? The Bills are an obvious contender for the Super Bowl this year, and they defeated the Miami Dolphins with relative ease in Week 4, the team that dropped 70 points on the Denver Broncos the week prior.
Behind Allen on the depth chart is Kyle Allen, the former Houston Texans quarterback. That's not exactly an ideal situation to be in if you are Buffalo. So, if they want to win a Super Bowl this year if Allen were to be sidelined, making the move for Kirk Cousins.
Cousins would reunite with former Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs. While Diggs did have a nasty exit from Minnesota and the belief that he had beef with Cousins, that wasn't the case. Cousins said that Diggs told him back in 2020 that his trade request had nothing to do with him and that he "was looking for another opportunity." Diggs said back in 2020 that he had no issue with any of the players on the team.
"People have a common misconception that I don't love my old team," said Diggs, h/t ESPN. "I have nothing but love and respect for those guys. But where they were and where they were headed … in my eyes, it wasn't going to be in the best interest of my career. As a receiver, if you want to have success, you've got to catch the ball."
It would be quite something to see Cousins team up with Diggs, but given how durable and tough Allen is, this is likely an issue they don't have to worry about.
