49ers Could ‘Finagle’ Deal with 4-Time Pro Bowl Quarterback, Insider Says.
Since the San Francisco 49ers asked Tom Brady to come out of retirement last year, why not “finagle” a way to sign Kirk Cousins this year?
That’s the suggestion given by the “The Mackey & Judd” podcast hosts on February 22 – sign the four-time Pro Bowler and Minnesota Vikings star quarterback to a team-friendly deal. While speculation of Cousins joining forces with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan again has appeared many times this summer, the Niners’ $7.41 million over the salary cap remains the biggest impediment.
“Like if we’re talking $30 [million] or $40 million a year, you could easily finagle it with a huge signing bonus … to have a minimal cap hit for 2024 and benefit the 49ers,” podcast host Phil Mackey said.
Shanahan once worked with Cousins when they were both members of the then-Washington Redskins in 2012 and 2013. As the 49ers head coach, Shanahan wanted to trade for Cousins in 2017 according to The Athletic’s Alec Lewis.
“If the Niners come calling. Done deal,” KTSP’s Darren Wolfson said on “The Mackey & Judd” podcast. “Now … the elephant in the room is their cap situation. How exactly are they providing the necessary cap space? I don’t even think Kirk would be wanting to break the bank to go play for Kyle Shanahan.”
“We also know from on the record comments going back multiple years what Kyle thinks of Kirk,” Wolfson continued. “Kyle thinks the world of Kirk. I can’t get off their cap predicament … oh hey, are we sure that Kirk is some type of upgrade on [Brock] Purdy?”
Podcast host Judd Zulgad agrees with Wolfson that Cousins and the 49ers finding a way to join forces “can’t be completely dismissed” until 2024. Zulgad added “this would be the situation where if Kirk is ever going to even get to the Super Bowl, this would be it” with the 49ers.
Niners Landing Kirk Cousins Could Resemble Another Recent Champion
Mackey sees it as a one-year situation and similar to that of the Los Angeles Rams when the team went all-in with quarterback Matthew Stafford to win a Super Bowl but suffered the price subsequently. The 49ers just came up short in the Big Game with Purdy at quarterback in a 25-22 loss to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Kirk would play ball with that,” Wolfson said. “Like, I could absolutely see it. That would be it for Kirk, right? The perfect situation.”
“For me, it does come down to where do the Niners stand,” Wolfson added. “Then what happens with Purdy? Is Purdy merely the No. 2 then in San Francisco? How odd would that be?”
Niners QB Carousel Could Keep Spinning
Mackey described the quarterback carousel of recent years with the 49ers to make sense of it from Jimmy Garoppolo to Trey Lance to Purdy. The Niners benched a Super Bowl quarterback, traded a previous No. 3 selection, and elevated a former Mr. Irrelevant in that order.
“It’s not logical from what most teams would do,” Mackey said. “If they [49ers management] think they have already exhausted ‘this is the furthest we can go with this quarterback’, they have proven they will move off very good or highly drafted quarterbacks in the blink of an eye.”
Zulgad also broached the possibility that he thinks the 49ers would trade Purdy if Cousins signs for two seasons. The guests suggested the 49ers could obtain a first round selection for Purdy though the organization would keep a Super Bowl quarterback as the backup if not.
Matthew Davis covers the NFL for Heavy.com, focusing on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers. As a contributing writer to the StarTribune, he has also covered Minnesota prep sports since 2016. More about Matthew Davis
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