After Kirk Cousins went down with a brutal torn Achilles for the Minnesota Vikings in their Week 8 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, thoughts instantly went to what the franchise would do at the quarterback position. Some options have come up, but no one knows what the Vikings intend to do. One of the potential options that has been mentioned is a trade deadline move for New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston.
Granted, Winston would not be the kind of player that can power the Vikings to the playoffs like Cousins could. However, he is a proven commodity and would be a much better option than quite a few, such as signing Carson Wentz out of free agency.
Just a couple of short years ago, Winston was putting up good production as the starter for New Orleans. Since then, he has struggled with some injuries and is now sitting behind Derek Carr. The Saints could be open to a potential move if the price was right.
A Vikings’ fan page on Twitter suggested that Winston could be a potential option. We’re here to take a look at whether or not it would be worth the move for Minnesota.
Some quarterback options via trade for the #Vikings before Tuesdays deadline:
• Jameis Winston
• Jacoby Brissett
• Ryan Tannehill
• Trey Lance
• Case Keenum
• Teddy BridgewaterWho else would be a serviceable/realistic option? pic.twitter.com/WBftItX7yq
— VikingzFanPage (@vikingzfanpage) October 30, 2023
Should The Vikings Consider A Trade For Jameis Winston?
Losing Cousins is something that the Vikings aren’t going to be able to fully recover from. Not only is his production not going to be matched by anyone that Minnesota can get, but his leadership will be sorely missed. All that they can do at this point in time is try to add a player that can make enough plays for the offense to function properly.
Winston has played sparingly in three games this season. He has completed 58.8 percent of his pass attempts for 101 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. Back in 2021, however, as the team’s starter, he played in seven games, completed 59 percent of his passes, and racked up 1,170 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just three interceptions.
There is no denying the fact that Winston has impressive arm talent. His decision-making has always been a question about his game, but the arm strength and talent is there.
The biggest question facing the Vikings in a potential Winston move would be, can he do enough to allow Justin Jefferson and the rest of the offense to pick him up in his weak areas?
Honestly, this move would be worth the risk for the Vikings. Jameis Winston isn’t going to come in and move the needle a ton, but he also won’t let the needle fall back to zero. For the price that it would likely take, which would be a late-round draft pick, Minnesota should give it a shot.
Outside of this option, there are other much less impactful options. Simply carrying on with Jaren Hall as the starter isn’t going to cut it. Why not take a shot on a low-cost, high-reward quarterback like Winston?
Expect to hear plenty of rumors and rumbling coming out of Minnesota surrounding the quarterback position. Winston may not even be considered, but it’s interesting to think about.