Vikings Would Have Drafted Justin Fields Had He Fallen To No. 14

According to Courtney Cronin, the Vikings were preparing to draft Ohio State QB Justin Fields before the division-rival Bears traded up to No. 11 to take him. 

Minnesota ended up trading down from No. 14 after unsuccessfully exploring a trade up in the draft for Fields. Sources told Cronin the Vikings were also eyeing Northwestern OL Rashawn Slater in a move up before he went No. 13 to the Chargers. 

She explains that as the Vikings were preparing for the draft this year, they started to consider the long-term status of starting QB Kirk Cousins. The 32-year-old veteran has a $35 million guaranteed base salary next year and a $45 million cap hit, which could be a massive load on the cap. 

Cronin adds that multiple sources told her the Vikings reached out to Cousins to let him know they could take a quarterback this past week, but that his job wasn’t in jeopardy this season.

As Fields began to fall down the board, Cronin says the Vikings explored what it would cost to trade up for him. However, they weren’t willing to give up what the Bears did to move up, which included a future first-round pick. 

Minnesota ultimately drafted Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond in the third round. 

While it appears that Cousins’ job is safe in 2021, this is certainly something to monitor going forward.