The Minnesota Vikings ended a topsy-turvy 2023 season on Sunday with a 30-20 loss to the Detroit Lions, and after going 13-4 and winning the NFC North last season, they will not participate in this year’s playoffs.
It was a season that saw them play without star wide receiver Justin Jefferson for a long stretch and lose starting quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season in Week 8 to a torn Achilles. They had forged a five-game winning streak in October and early November, creating some hope they could sneak into the playoffs, but they finished the schedule with six losses in their last seven contests.
Cousins will be a free agent this offseason, and since he is 35 years of age, not to mention coming off one of the worst injuries an athlete can suffer, there is a debate as to whether Minnesota should pay him in order to keep him.
One Yardbarker writer feels if Minnesota lets Cousins go, it should go out and nab Baker Mayfield.
“The 28-year-old has had a renaissance of sorts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and is on pace to throw for 4,025 yards and 29 touchdown passes, easily career highs for the former first overall pick. If a reunion with Kirk Cousins isn’t in the cards, and the Vikings believe they can still contend, Mayfield would fit nicely into the team’s ‘competitive rebuild’ approach.”
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In his first five NFL seasons, Mayfield, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 draft, had shown some precocious talent, but he had trouble putting it all together. The Cleveland Browns traded him prior to last season, and he spent the 2022 campaign with both the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams.
The Buccaneers took a flyer on him last offseason after Tom Brady retired, and the gamble has paid off. Although he didn’t have the greatest of performances in Week 18, he led his team to a 9-0 win over the Carolina Panthers to give it the NFC South title and a spot in the playoffs.
Mayfield finished ninth in the league in passing yards and seventh in passing touchdowns, and he has helped wide receiver Mike Evans make the Pro Bowl and finish with 1,255 yards and 13 touchdowns.
He will be a free agent soon, and he has likely earned himself a handsome long-term contract. If the Bucs don’t want to give him such a contract, it would make sense for the Vikings to go after him.
Jefferson is still a couple of years away from truly entering his prime, rookie wide receiver Jordan Addison has proven himself as an excellent WR2, and tight end T.J. Hockenson, who was acquired from the Detroit Lions last season, has become one of the best at his position.
The complicating factor is the fact that Pro Bowl pass rusher Danielle Hunter will also be a free agent this offseason. But the opportunity is there for the Vikings to once again be a winner next season.
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