Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins mastered Kevin O’Connell’s offense this season, posting some career-best numbers before suffering an Achilles tear. While Minnesota wants to re-sign him, one quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft could prevent that.
Holding the 11th overall pick in 2024, Minnesota isn’t currently well-positioned to land one of the three best quarterback prospects. However, there is a consensus belief around the league that the Vikings or another NFL team will trade up because of the poor early reviews on the 2025 quarterback class.
Minnesota’s first priority is re-signing Cousins, in large part due to his mastery of a complicated offense and O’Connell’s overwhelming confidence in the veteran’s ability to execute the system. But with Kirk coming off an Achilles repair, the Vikings have to think about their future.
Jayden Daniels wants to play for the Minnesota Vikings?
If general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah decides to move up in the 2024 NFL Draft, there is one top passer who wants to play for Minnesota. According to Darren Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) , LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels ‘would enjoy’ playing for the Vikings next season with an opportunity to be teammates with Justin Jefferson.
Daniels isn’t the only one with interest in being picked by the Vikings. ESPN’s Dan Graziano previously reported that there is a contingent of Vikings’ front office officials who have a desire to bring him to Minnesota.
Preliminary Jayden Daniels scouting report
A dream scenario for Minnesota in 2024 would be to re-sign Cousins to a one-year contract and then land Jayden Daniels as the heir apparent. It would be the ideal strategy, with Cousins keeping the Vikings in contention next season while Daniels develops behind him and learns O’Connell’s system.
If that can’t happen, Minnesota could still hand over the keys to the rookie quarterback. While he needs more development as a passer than Caleb Williams or Drake Maye, he would still offer plenty of upside for the Vikings’ offense next season.
All of this doesn’t even account for Daniels’ elite athleticism. He rushed for 1,134 yards last season with 10 rushing touchdowns, averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He was also consistently dominant on the ground, eclipsing 100 rushing yards four times with 60-plus rushing yards in nine games.
The opportunity to be developed by O’Connell and operate a Vikings’ offense with Jefferson and Jordan Addison makes Minnesota a perfect fit for Daniels. While they will have to compete with the Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons to move up for him, this could finally be the year the Vikings are aggressive in the NFL Draft.
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