Kirk Cousins Leaving Finally Pays Off for Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings had multiple options regarding Sam Darnold this offseason. To many it seemed like a no-brainer to tag and trade him, as there were plenty of quarterback-needy franchises. The idea being that teams were lined up to acquire his rights, and could then give him an extension.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, obviously factored in the compensatory pick that could be landed just by letting Darnold walk. That, the market, and the risk associated with the tag led the Vikings to let him go sign with Seattle. They experienced that same reality last season when Kirk Cousins jumped at the opportunity to make bank with the Atlanta Falcons.

That deal went belly up quickly for Atlanta, and Cousins for that matter. He got benched partway through the season, after poor performance. And now, it’s now going to pay off for the Vikings in April.

Minnesota Vikings land top compensatory pick selection

The Minnesota Vikings have done plenty of heavy lifting to supplement the roster so far during the legal tampering period. They still need to grab a quarterback that can push, or supplement J.J. McCarthy through camp. Kirk Cousins leaving for his mega deal last offseason has now armed the franchise with expected draft capital.

Just in: NFL awarded compensatory draft picks today for the 2025 NFL Draft. Here's the full list of extra picks for teams: pic.twitter.com/1sNniwBUfy

— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 11, 2025

Based on the compensatory formula, Minnesota was in line to earn a third round pick this year. They had to wait a year after Cousins left, but the additional draft capital is massive considering how many picks they have this year. As the NFL awarded compensatory picks on Tuesday, the Vikings landed the top selection amongst them.

Related: Minnesota Vikings Free Agency Signings – 2025

Now armed with the 33rd pick of the third round, 97th overall, Minnesota has four total selections in the upcoming NFL Draft. The pick at 24th in the first round, their compensatory pick, and then have selections 139 and 160 in the fifth round.

Another benefit of the additional pick being awarded is that they are in fact able to be used in trade. If the Vikings would like to pursue other assets up to, or during the draft, that third round pick is another weapon in their arsenal.

Thanks to the work that Minnesota has done in free agency, they have less needs to address in April. They could opt to trade back from their first round position and pick up additional assets to go with a quantity approach. Also, there is the idea that they may be positioned to simply take the best player available.

It is because of this compensatory pick situation that the Minnesota Vikings were hesitant to work a tag-and-trade with Darnold that didn’t maximize the return. They have kept a keen eye on their free agent acquisitions, and will again be hoping to acquire an additional selection next season.