NFL Trade Deadline 2023: Latest Rumors Surrounding Kirk Cousins, Vikings and More
The rumor mill is rumbling with the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline fast approaching.
Since most teams in the Super Bowl hunt typically loom as potential buyers, the question this time of year is always which clubs might be willing to sell.
The latest trade talks surround two likely candidates, both of whom fit the typical mold of falling well short of expectations.
Kirk Cousins Staying Put?
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Kirk Cousins is a 35-year-old playing on the final season of his contract and quarterbacking a team whose best player, Justin Jefferson, is on injured reserve. His Minnesota Vikings have single-score wins over the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears and losses to everyone else on the schedule.
Clearly, a trade must be brewing, right? Well, while logic may lead you that direction, the rumor mill is saying the opposite.
A Cousins trade is "not impossible," according to Peter King in his Football Morning in America column, but it is "unlikely … unless an injury at quarterback forces a playoff-contending coach very familiar with Cousins, who could play to his strengths, to look for a quarterback." Cousins also holds a no-trade clause he is "very likely not going to waive."
Minnesota's motivation for a trade seems straightforward if it doesn't plan on re-signing him, but that's only one part of this discussion. How many contending or even contending-hopeful clubs have a need at quarterback and confidence that Cousins could hit the ground running mid-season? How many would pay a premium for a partial season rental? And does any of this even matter if he isn't willing to leave?
Other Vikings on the Move?
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Even though Cousins might be staying put, this roster could be reshaped around him.
The Vikings sort of started that process over the offseason, when they moved on from the likes of Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen and Eric Kendricks. More veterans could be on the move soon.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini reported the Vikings have "received calls and will continue to listen" on Danielle Hunter, K.J. Osborn and Harrison Smith. Moving any—or all—of the three for longterm assets could make a lot of sense if Minnesota doesn't get the sense this group will turn things around.
Hunter is an elite pass-rusher who already has eight sacks on the season. Osborn is a steady receiver who tallied better than 1,300 receiving yards and 12 scores over the past two seasons combined. Smith is a playmaking safety who had five interceptions last season and already has two forced fumbles this time around. All of them should hold significant appeal among win-now shoppers.
Broncos' Trade Plans Taking Shape?
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The Denver Broncos made a mess of the 2022 season, but this year was supposed to be different. They tasked Sean Payton with turning things around, and they've instead watched as the bottom has dropped out.
Denver looks even worse than last season. That Broncos team went 5-12 with a minus-72 point differential; this Broncos group has gone a dismal 1-5 with a minus-71 differential.
When things are this bad with a team that didn't expect to be bad, big changes often take place. That could be the case with the Broncos, as they "will discus moving" receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton, per Russini. However, the Athletic scribe "doesn't get the sense" Denver wants to deal top cornerback Pat Surtain II.
So, the Broncos could be in line for a highly active trade season, even if it isn't quite an everything-must-go type of liquidation.
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