After finishing the 2022 season with a 13-4 record and an appearance in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs under rookie head coach Kevin O’Connell, the Minnesota Vikings entered 2023 with high expectations. Now, sitting at 0-2, Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski thinks things could escalate quickly in Minnesota if the Vikings don’t turn it around in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“If the Vikings lose… Kirk Cousins will be shipped out,” said Gronkowski on Kay Adams’ TV show Up & Adams. Gronkowski added that the Vikings will “be building for the future and hopefully tank for Caleb Williams out of USC.”
Gronkowski predicts that if the Vikings lose to the Chargers this week and go 0-3, the team will look to trade their Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins and do their part to ensure they put themselves in a position to draft the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, USC star quarterback Caleb Williams.
Is that fair to Cousins? He has led the Vikings to a .500 or better record in four of his five seasons as the franchises’ signal-caller and now they could look to part ways with him after the team’s slow start. Cousins currently ranks third in the NFL in passing yards (708), tied for first in touchdowns (6), and ranks fourth in completion percentage among players who have attempted more than one pass in 2023 (72.7).
The Vikings and Chargers face off this week in a battle of two 0-2 teams that have largely disappointed thus far in 2023. Both teams came in with offseason buzz and both teams are now potentially staring at an 0-3 start. Changes are coming to whatever team manages to lose this game.
