{"id":89354,"date":"2024-02-06T14:18:28","date_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aweu.info\/?p=89354"},"modified":"2024-02-06T14:18:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-06T14:18:28","slug":"vikings-projected-to-pass-on-championship-qb-for-potential-immediate-starter-kieu-linh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/vikings-projected-to-pass-on-championship-qb-for-potential-immediate-starter-kieu-linh\/","title":{"rendered":"Vikings Projected to Pass on Championship QB for Potential \u2018Immediate Starter\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The two biggest holes on the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 roster remain quarterback and pass rusher with Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter both free agency this offseason.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1754436270-1-e1707194910826.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Even if Cousins returns, the Vikings need to plan for life after the 35-year-old quarterback. And Hunter is one of three Vikings pass rushers set to hit the open market this offseason, setting up for some level of positional reshuffling.<\/p>\n<p>And, with the team navigating a salary-cap crunch, cheap replacements could be in order.<\/p>\n<p>In a new mock draft from ESPN\u2019s Matt Miller, the Vikings find a way to prepare for either player to return or depart in free agency this offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Miller projects the Vikings will select Alabama\u2019s Dallas Turner with the No. 12 overall pick before snagging potential quarterback of the future Michael Penix Jr. of Washinton with the No. 42 overall pick.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Dallas Turner \ud83d\ude33\ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/L2amcRNqZY\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/L2amcRNqZY<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BenFennell_NFL\/status\/1747679486600978907?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">January 17, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Vikings are at a crossroads with quarterback Kirk Cousins hitting free agency at 36 years old and coming off an Achilles tear suffered in Week 8,\u201d\u00a0Miller wrote\u00a0on February 5. \u201cBut there are needs across the board. Danielle Hunter is a free agent, and Turner would perfectly fit D-coordinator\u00a0Brian Flores\u2018 defensive wish list at edge rusher.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne NFC area scout thinks his ceiling is higher than former college teammate\u00a0Will Anderson Jr., who went No. 3 in last year\u2019s draft. Turner has excellent speed in space with a pro player comparison to the\u00a0Jaguars\u2018\u00a0Josh Allen.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s my top-ranked defender in the class and would be a steal this late in the night,\u201d Miller wrote.<\/p>\n<p>Turner recorded 10.0 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss for the Crimson Tide this past season. Both set new career-high marks.<\/p>\n<p>Hunter, 29, is coming off a career-best 16.5-sack campaign. He earned his fourth trip to the Pro Bowl and second All-Pro selection. He has said that he\u00a0wants to return\u00a0to the Vikings next season. But he has\u00a0also acknowledged\u00a0that the front office has to make the final decision.<\/p>\n<p>The Vikings notably pass on two first-round quarterbacks in Miller\u2019s mock, including national champion\u00a0J.J. McCarthy\u00a0of Michigan, whom he projects to go No. 13 overall to the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders.<\/p>\n<h2>Vikings Double Back for QB of the Future<\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4706904 visible aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1918489969-e1707195171701.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Michael Penix Jr., Minnesota Vikings\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4706904\" data-lazy-load=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1918489969-e1707195171701.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" \/><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4706904\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p>Miller notes that the Vikings could opt for a quarterback \u2013 including Penix \u2013 with the No. 11 overall pick. But, in his hypothetical draft scenario, they don\u2019t have to.<\/p>\n<p>It was Penix\u2019s Huskies that McCarthy\u2019s Wolverines beat in the National Championship Game.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPenix\u2019s draft stock varies depending on whom you ask, but the most consistent answer I\u2019ve heard is the second round, given the\u00a0four season-ending injuries\u00a0he suffered at Indiana,\u201d Miller wrote. \u201cPenix has excellent arm strength and velocity, and as a pure passer, he\u2019s a first-rounder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThose injury and durability questions push him to the Vikings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Penix suffered ACL and shoulder injuries during his time at Indiana. But he completed 65.4% of his passes for 4,903 yards and 36 touchdowns with 11 interceptions in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>There could also be some\u00a0concerns about Penix\u2019s ceiling\u00a0as an older prospect \u2013 he turns 24 years old in May. But that doesn\u2019t seem to be an issue for Miller, who instead leans on the appeal of Penix\u2019s experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s great news for Minnesota,\u201d Miller wrote. \u201cPenix can be the quarterback-in-waiting if Cousins is re-signed, or the immediate starter if he is not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_7_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-7 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"CL3Dj9vzloQDFfRTwgUdwKEDFw\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/18190176,25816858\/AdThrive_Content_7\/5ad7479721520f50ab7da88e_0__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Kirk Cousins Anxious for Contract Resolution<\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-4706925 visible aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1724825607-e1707195337899.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings\" width=\"780\" height=\"438\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4706925\" data-lazy-load=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-1724825607-e1707195337899.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" \/><\/h2>\n<div id=\"attachment_4706925\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\">\n<p>Like Hunter, Cousins has expressed an interest in returning to the Vikings next season. While reports of his next contract potentially\u00a0exceeding $40 million annually\u00a0have surfaced, Cousins is also growing a little impatient.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMany people who ask, including friends and family, are surprised to learn that the conversations really don\u2019t begin until March,\u201d Cousins said via\u00a0Sky Sports NFL\u00a0on January 30. \u201cI would love to know where I\u2019m going. I would love to get those conversations going now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The pressure is seemingly on General Manager\u00a0Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u00a0to thread the needle on the next steps in his competitive rebuild.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"AdThrive_Content_9_desktop\" class=\"adthrive-ad adthrive-content adthrive-content-9 adthrive-ad-cls\" data-google-query-id=\"CIX549zzloQDFT5TwgUdkbYDFg\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The two biggest holes on the Minnesota Vikings\u2019 roster remain quarterback and pass rusher with Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter both free agency this offseason. Even if&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-89354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89354\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mlbhi.aweu.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}