Vikings' Kirk Cousins on Possibility of Waiving No-Trade Clause: I'm Focused on Bears

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins declined to answer a question regarding whether he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause during a Wednesday press conference, instead noting that his sole focus is on the team's Sunday matchup with the Chicago Bears.

The 1-4 Vikings sit last in the NFC North, and their season-long prospects got much bleaker with superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson landing on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury. He will miss the Vikings' next four games at minimum.

As for Cousins, his time with the Vikings could potentially be coming to an end either way given that he's eligible for free agency next offseason.

Minnesota has three games before the Oct. 31 trade deadline starting with a road game versus Chicago on Sunday. The Vikings then host the undefeated San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football before visiting the Green Bay Packers on Oct. 29.

A pair of road division matchups sandwiched around a game against arguably the best team in football isn't an easy task.

If the team is out of contention, then a midseason teardown might be the best option for a Vikings team that doesn't have a long-term answer at quarterback right now and could use more draft capital to shore up both sides of the ball.

Trading Cousins, who has excelled this year with 299.6 passing yards per game and a 101.7 quarterback rating, could be the prudent move for the franchise if this turns into a lost season.

Of course, that's dependent upon whether or not Cousins waives his no-trade clause, and ESPN's Kevin Seifert posited on the Pat McAfee Show that he doesn't think he will.

For now, Cousins and the Vikings have a big matchup with the 1-4 Bears, who started 0-3 but have since come to life on offense thanks largely to quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver D.J. Moore. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Soldier Field.