Don’t tell Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah the 2022 NFL Draft class is short on quarterback talent.
Even though contract negotiations have started with quarterback Kirk Cousins, the Vikings are reportedly meeting with other signal callers at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“I’m not going to sit here and stamp this quarterback class. I think there’s a lot of talent there and we’ll see what happens,” Adofo-Mensah said on Tuesday, per The Athletic’s Chad Graff.
The expectation from most mock drafts is that the Vikings will go defense with the No. 12 overall pick. But things would get interesting if the team fails to hammer out a deal with Cousins before April 28.
There are obviously veteran options out there, but the team could look to use their premium pick on a quarterback if a standoff unfolds. Cousins is a savvy business man at the negotiating table, and he doesn’t have a history of taking pay cuts or team-friendly deals in hopes of providing salary cap relief.
Of course, that doesn’t mean things haven’t changed, and he wouldn’t consider it this time around. The Vikings clearly need help with Cousins slated to count $45 million against the cap.
So there’s a clear path to them going out and getting a player like Kenny Pickett, Malik Willis or even Matt Corral in hopes of securing their position under center.
The good news on the Cousins front is the fact that Adofo-Mensah expects him to be in a Vikings uniform this year, but per Graff, he also noted “everything is in play” with his starting quarterback.
“I wish I could tell you for certain anything. Everything’s in play and I hate to be that general, but everything’s in play with every player,” said Adofo-Mensah.
