At this point, everything should be on the table. We know how thorough Ryan Poles is in the offseason and he runs through every little scenario possible. Well, an interesting thought, although highly unlikely, is the idea of Kirk Cousins hitting free agency and signing with the Chicago Bears. It's a crazy thought that honestly doesn't sound as crazy once you think about it.
The idea was floated by our Minnesota Vikings site, Viking Age. At first, I laughed it off, but once you think about it, the idea isn't an awful one for the Bears.
What could Kirk Cousins to the Chicago Bears look like this offseason?
Imagine for a second that Kirk Cousins officially hits free agency. It's possible he doesn't because the Vikings don't have many good options at quarterback if they let him walk. Spotrac has Cousins projected to earn roughly $39 million per year. At 35, almost 36 years old, he's not likely to see anything more than a 3 or 4-year deal. That said, he's a proven veteran who is highly undervalued in the NFL. Not to mention, he's from Barrington, IL, and grew up as a Chicago Bears fan.
Cousins has played 12 years in the NFL. He wasn't given the opportunity to start right away because he was drafted by Washington (3rd round) in the same draft they took Robert Griffin, III second overall. Once Cousins became the full-time starter, he has never looked back. In nine years as a full-time starter, Cousins has eclipsed 4,000 yards in seven of them. It would have likely been eight out of nine years had he not torn his Achillies this past season. Through eight games, Cousins was on pace for over 4,900 yards, 38 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions — one of his best seasons ever.
Furthermore, Shane Waldron spent a year with Kirk Cousins when Cousins was the starting quarterback in Washington. Waldron was the quality control coach during a year when Cousins threw for his career high in yardage (4,917) and made his first Pro Bowl.
Now, a move like this means the window to win a Super Bowl tightens. With only three to four seasons left before Cousins likely declines due to age, the Chicago Bears would need to find a replacement and have him sit behind Cousins and learn — something that might actually be the best move seeing we have witnessed this strategy by the Packers for decades.
If Ryan Poles went down this unlikely path, it would mean that the Chicago Bears offense could look like this:
Kirk Cousins
DJ Moore
Marvin Harrison, Jr.
Cole Kmet
Khalil Herbert
Roschon Johnson
And more...
In fact, Ryan Poles could trade down from one to two or three in the draft and still end up with Marvin Harrison, Jr. If they found Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze to be close enough in their scouting process to Harrison, then they could get an even bigger draft haul by moving down even further. The point is that they have the opportunity to add some serious draft capital, add a top-10 QB to the roster, and bring in two top-10 draft prospects. For anyone who thinks Justin Fields isn't the answer, this should be an option to consider — even if it will never happen.