4 major obstacles that could prevent Panthers trade for Kirk Cousins
By Dean Jones
What are some potential obstacles that could prevent the Carolina Panthers from trading for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins?
The rumor mill is buzzing after a report surfaced surrounding the Carolina Panthers calling the Minnesota Vikings to discuss a potential trade for quarterback Kirk Cousins. Although the talks didn’t go anywhere further than an inquiry according to Judd Zulgad from SKOR North, the reporter stated things could pick up after the signal-caller reportedly refused to take any pay cut and assist with the team’s salary-cap complications.
Whether this amounts to anything or not remains to be seen. But it is the clearest sign yet that the Panthers are once again aggressively pursuing a quarterback that can get them trending in the right direction.
Cousins represents a significant upgrade on Sam Darnold, who failed to produce the goods following his trade from the New York Jets. However, there are plenty of mitigating factors that could prevent such a move from coming to fruition.
With this in mind, here are four major obstacles that could prevent the Panthers from making a trade for Cousins this offseason.
Obstacle No. 1
Compensation issue for the Carolina Panthers
After trading for Sam Darnold and C.J. Henderson, the Carolina Panthers have just one draft selection in the top-100. Not exactly ideal if those in power want to acquire another quarterback and sacrificing the No. 6 overall selection for Kirk Cousins would be another significant gamble that could go either way.
Going after veteran players at the position hasn’t exactly gone according to plan during the Matt Rhule era. One more false move and subsequent failure during the 2022 season would likely see the head coach removed from the role.
As stated previously, Cousins is an upgrade with solid production and playoff success. But if the price is a top-10 pick or more, the Panthers should probably look at alternatives.