4 NFL teams Eagles can rule out as partners in Gardner Minshew trade

A trade between the Eagles and Vikings seems highly unlikely.

Sometimes, when you look at the Minnesota Vikings, it feels like, though the evidence that they need a quarterback is overwhelming, they seem to be lost on that fact. Can you imagine the firestorm Kirk Cousins would be under if he played in a city like New York or Philadelphia? Yet, for whatever reason, he keeps plugging along as the Vikings’ signal-caller.

Who knows? Maybe one day they’ll arrive at the same party the rest of us have been hanging out at for several years now, the ‘Kirk Cousins can’t play’ train. You saw that game versus the Dallas Cowboys. You remember. It felt like the whole world was watching at the time.

Dak Prescott was hurt. Cooper Rush was starting his first NFL game. Kirk was starting his 110th, yet Cousins looked like the new kid on the block while Rush looked like the savvy veteran. It’s moments like those that would lead you to believe that the Vikes would be all-in on finding another signal-caller. It doesn’t appear like they are though.

There have been rumors that teams like the Carolina Panthers have called to inquire about Kirk’s services, but for now, there’s no movement. Cousins represents a little over 21 percent of Minnesota’s salary as he’s scheduled to be on the books for about $45 million in 2022.

You’d think it would seem like that’s a fact that isn’t lost on Vikings G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and he’d be more aggressive in exploring trades and finding a true franchise quarterback. He still might, but even if it happens, the expectation is the Vikes would look to upgrade.

Adding Gardner seems more like a lateral move. For that reason, we’ll assume it makes no sense in their minds to enter into any deals with Philly as potential trade partners.