Why Kirk Cousins of the Vikings is not a trade target for the Jets and why they shouldn’t be.

In New York, cousins would be an odd bedfellow.

The New York Jets are once again dealing with a quarterback dilemma.
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
In a year that is crucial for the franchise, the team with the least successful history at the position is once again looking for solutions.

While Zach Wilson has received the Jets’ open support, any fan who has had the misfortune of watching Wilson start is aware that he is actually not very good.
Everything from trades to signings to a potential Collin Kaepernick appearance have been suggested as a result, among other rumors.

Although a trade for Kirk Cousins, which has been a popular rumor since Aaron Rodgers’ Achilles ruptured, isn’t a likely out for the team, there isn’t a clear-cut solution to New York’s enormous quarterback gap.

This is why.

Why the Jets are unable to trade for Kirk Cousins.

Simple: There is a full no-trade clause in Kirk Cousins’ contract, making it more difficult to negotiate a trade than, say, Jets general manager Joe Douglas and Vikings owner Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doing a Zoom meeting.
Any deal would require Cousins’ consent, which right now doesn’t seem like a likely scenario.

The seasoned quarterback might consider a trade if the Vikings are out of the running by the time the trade deadline arrives.
But would he want to be dealt to a team that appears to be in complete disarray, a team he rejected during the 2018 offseason, New York, where he had previously chosen to stay?

In addition, Cousins would probably demand another fully guaranteed contract even as a rental, which the Jets most likely wouldn’t be able to provide.
The Jets will probably already have a quarterback in place come Week 1 of 2024 because Aaron Rodgers is under contract for at least one more year (and the quarterback appears to prefer to keep playing).

Considering everything, it seems pretty unlikely that Cousins will be traded.

Why the Jets won’t make a trade for Kirk Cousins.

The Jets’ situation is dire, especially considering that this season’s expectations were Super Bowl victory or bust.
Zach Wilson serves as the personification of the “bust” component of the equation, which undoubtedly still exists.

Wilson is their man, at least for the time being, according to Jets management, who has made that abundantly clear.
The pressure cooker known as the Big Apple (Florham Park, N.Y.) is a place where anything can happen in a New York minute.
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), but the Jets’ initial attempt to strengthen the QB room without Rodgers was less than impressive.

Trevor Siemian’s signing by New York has the impression of being more of a “warm body to the room” addition than a serious threat to Wilson and the QB1 spot. Siemian is more than capable as a backup and spot starter, but since 2017, Siemian has only started six games and hasn’t started a game that he’s won.

It’s a big ask to expect any QB off the street to be the savior for an offense that has appeared ineffective because quarterbacks don’t exactly grow on trees, and good ones even less so.

why Kirk Cousins shouldn’t be traded by the Jets.

The Jets don’t think highly of Cousins’ abilities or value as a quarterback, so that has nothing to do with it. Cousins has consistently ranked in the top 10 of NFL quarterbacks for years, despite the criticism he receives.

Early in the 2023 season, it became apparent that the Jets roster might not have been a single quarterback away from Super Bowl contention, especially in an AFC that boasts some of the best football teams.
The Bills and Dolphins dominate the field, so it’s possible that the Jets have two of those teams in their division.

While trading for Cousins in a season when the team is this flawed might not be the best move, the current Jets leadership of Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh will likely feel the heat increase throughout the course of the season if they continue to appear incompetent in all aspects of the game. Instead, it appears to be a hasty Band-Aid fix during a campaign where a Super Bowl run seems more unlikely than a finish under .500.

Cousins would probably cost at least a third-round pick and possibly more, which the Jets cannot afford to give up without a second-round pick in 2024.
Giving up that draft capital would be a poor decision.
After the 2023 season, the Jets will need to fill several significant gaps, including the tackle positions since Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton are both unrestricted free agents.

To that end, “tank” is such a filthy, disgusting word for Jets fans, but they’d also position themselves for a higher draft pick come the 2024 NFL Draft, a year in which there could be as many as six first-round quarterback talents and a loaded tackle class.

It seems like the ideal chance for the Jets to try and find their “savior” once more—or to select a bust.
It’s either or.