Jared Allen Says Vikings Were Right To Let Go Of Kirk Cousins On 'Don't @ Me with Dan Dakich'

Minnesota Vikings legend Jared Allen appeared on "Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich" to discuss his former team’s decision to move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins.

During this past offseason, Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons in one of the more surprising moves in free agency. Despite obvious durability concerns (Cousins ruptured his Achilles last season and is 35 years old), it left Minnesota without a viable No. 1 quarterback.

However, Allen thinks that the Vikings made the right decision by moving on from Cousins.

"I think it shook out how it should’ve (shaken out)...I would have moved on," Allen said. "Nothing personal from the standpoint of Kirk, but you have to look at where the future is going to be. Even if you get two or three great years out of Kirk for that kind of money, you’re setting yourself behind getting a good draft pick."

His return-on-investment concerns were valid. Over the past four seasons, he made no less than $33 million per year, but the Vikings only played in one playoff game (a loss to the New York Giants) in those four years.

This lack of consistent playoff victories was Allen’s biggest reason for supporting Minnesota’s decision. 

The Vikings did not get the playoff success they had hoped for with Cousins (8) at quarterback, which was one of the reasons why Jared Allen thought Minnesota was wise to move on from him. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

"At the end of the day, especially from a quarterback standpoint, you're just by wins and losses in the super bowl and the playoffs. That’s why you get the big money," Allen said. "We were no closer to winning a Super Bowl investing all that money into Kirk…we went to the NFC Championship game with Case Keenum (in the 2017-18 season), and we never got back."

Jared Allen Is All In On The Vikings Moves

Allen then highlighted that moving on from Cousins allowed Minnesota to spend that money on drafting a future quarterback and retaining other top-tier talent. Drafting J.J. McCarthy and signing Justin Jefferson to a record-shattering contract accomplished both of those needs.

"You invest in the young guys, you invest in the guys around the offense, especially now that you have McCarthy. I think they did the right thing," Allen concluded.

Allen concluded that all of these moves help set up the Vikings to be successful for many years.

"That’s your ultimate goal, that's what (general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah) and (head coach Kevin O’Connell) understand," Allen said. "They’re playing the long-term, they’re working the long vision and (asking themselves), ‘How can we expand to be an organization that doesn't just have one or two great years and then falls?’"