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3 quarterbacks SF 49ers must avoid if they move Jimmy Garoppolo

By Peter Panacy

Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings and Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings and Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Kirk Cousins, Kyle Shanahan, Minnesota Vikings, SF 49ers
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) and San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1 QB the SF 49ers Must Avoid: Kirk Cousins

Anytime San Francisco is going through something of a quarterback controversy, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is going to be mentioned. If for no other reason than Kyle Shanahan’s well-known affinity for the player he helped develop back with Washington early last decade.

Shanahan never got to finish his master plan of acquiring Cousins in 2018, thanks to the previous year’s trade for Jimmy Garoppolo. Instead, the Vikings made Cousins a high-paid commodity to be the guy in Minnesota.

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The only problem, however, is Cousins hasn’t been the guy and is largely responsible for just one postseason appearance for the Vikings in his three years there.

Even if one assumes Cousins is a modest upgrade from Garoppolo, and that could be a stretch, there are plenty of other reasons why an SF 49ers and Vikings trade for Cousins doesn’t make sense. Shanahan and the current Niners regime hasn’t shied away from trading draft picks in blockbuster deals, but they’ve been hesitant to move first-round selections. Given the Matthew Stafford trade, it’s possible the Vikings may ask for a Round 1 pick in return.

Plus, the financial elements make a would-be Cousins deal seem less feasible, too. While Minnesota might want to rid itself of Cousins’ contract, doing so would cost the Vikings $41 million in dead money, per Over the Cap, and the quarterback would still cost $31 million against the cap for 2021.

Considering Garoppolo’s $26.6 million cap hit this season, trading for Cousins doesn’t exactly result in a better cap situation for San Francisco.

Next. 5 Niners who'll be on notice during 2021 season. dark

Especially if one assumes Cousins isn’t a vast franchise-changing upgrade anyway.