While Kirk Cousins was on his way to visit
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According to a person with knowledge of the negotiations, the Vikings were working on a trade Wednesday with the Denver Broncos to acquire quarterback Trevor Siemian. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal, first reported by NFL Media, was not final.
Cousins, meanwhile, arrived on a private plane with his wife and infant son before heading downtown for dinner with team officials with all signs pointing to a deal as the new league year began.
Siemian would give the Vikings a capable backup who started 24 games for the Broncos over the last two seasons, with the free agent Cousins the team's primary target. As the Vikings watched quarterbacks Case Keenum (Denver), Sam Bradford (Arizona) and Teddy Bridgewater (New York) all join other teams as the new league year began, they were running out of options on a market that began with an unusually high amount of accomplished quarterbacks but quickly dried up amid the opening flurry. The Jets not only brought in Bridgewater, they re-signed veteran Josh McCown, too.
The Broncos juggled between Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch last season and split the position in 2016 between Siemian and Lynch. Siemian, who was drafted by Denver in 2015 in the seventh round out of Northwestern
Randy Johnson Jersey , has a 79.9 career passer rating with 30 touchdowns and 24 interceptions over the last two years. He was never the favored candidate, but he climbed his way to the top of the depth chart after Peyton Manning's retirement and gave the rebuilding club some decent performances despite some struggles.
The Vikings also still have Kyle Sloter, a prospect they signed last September after he was cut in training camp by the Broncos. They even elevated him to the active roster last season to make sure they could keep him, while Bradford was sidelined with a knee injury and Keenum was thriving as the unexpected starter.
Twin Cities television stations staked out the small airport where the Cousins family landed with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and the restaurant for footage of Cousins, the 29-year-old who also pushed himself up the pecking order with Washington after being drafted in the fourth round in 2012 behind second overall pick Robert Griffin III. Cousins has topped 4,000 passing yards in each of the last three seasons and, despite not owning a single victory in the playoffs, became the most valuable player on this year's free agent market given his age, durability and accomplishments. ESPN reported Tuesday that Cousins will sign a fully guaranteed $84 million contract that spans three years, but his agent said no decision had been made yet.
If the deal gets done as expected and Cousins stays healthy through the preseason, he'll represent the sixth different quarterback start Minnesota's season opener in six years.
The Vikings also let versatile running back Jerick McKinnon leave Wednesday for San Francisco and backup cornerback Tramaine Brock sign with Denver. Nine more of their players became unrestricted free agents, with kicker Kai Forbath, cornerback Terence Newman and punt returner Marcus Sherels atop the list of players likely to return. Guard Joe Berger has not yet decided whether to continue his career for a 14th season or retire.
Over the course of Donovan Mitchell’s outstanding rookie season with Utah
Cheap Da'Ron Payne Jersey , Portland star Damian Lillard has become something of a mentor, regularly sending texts of encouragement.
So Lillard really didn’t mind when Mitchell was the one who broke his rookie 3-point record.
”He’s had a great season, not just for a rookie but for a guard in the NBA. I’m really happy for him,” Lillard said. ”We’ve had some communication throughout the season. I like to see a guy that’s humble, a guy that works hard. Not many people were talking about him coming out of the draft. He wasn’t the talk of the draft.
”But he just came out and he just showed. That’s what makes me a fan of him.”
Mitchell surpassed Lillard’s mark of 185 3-pointers on Tuesday night in Utah’s 119-79 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
The next night, the two players were face-to-face in the final regular-season game. Portland claimed a 102-93 win on its home court, sending the Trail Blazers into a first-round playoff series against the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Jazz to a postseason matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Mitchell, 21, described the end of the season as fun, with both the record and Utah’s push for the playoffs. The Jazz strung together an 11-game winning streak starting in late January to begin a run in which they lost just twice in a 23-game span.
”The kid inside me has really enjoyed it,” Mitchell said. ”I got the Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year on my team and we’re the No. 5 seed and nobody thought we’d even be in the playoffs. So I’m excited to get this thing going.”
Utah coach Quin Snyder said he was always confident in Mitchell’s ability, even back in early November when the rookie went 3 for 21 from the floor in a 104-97 loss to Philadelphia.
”As much as anything
Cheap Baker Mayfield Jersey , it wasn’t Donovan’s play. I mean it was – coupled with his mental makeup. You could tell this was a guy who was fearless, who was not afraid of the moment. And I think the Philly game, what he did the next game, how he moved the ball, his decisions were better.”
Snyder said the Jazz staff focused on Mitchell’s progress and knew the results would come for the 6-foot-3 shooting guard out of Louisville.
”He wasn’t worried about starting. He just wanted to play, and he wanted to play well,” the coach said.
Overall, Mitchell led Utah during the regular season with an average of 20.5 points a game, and he led all NBA rookies with an average of 23 points in March (ninth overall). He’s the first rookie to lead his team in scoring and into the playoffs since Carmelo Anthony with Denver.
On Thursday, Mitchell was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Month for March and the first part of April. It was the fourth time he’d earned the award this season.
He has 187 3-pointers heading into the postseason, which starts for the Jazz on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Mitchell and Ben Simmons are the top candidates for the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award (which Lillard won in 2013). The two have gotten into something of a war of words lately, with Simmons telling ESPN that he’d vote for himself: ”If you look at the numbers, you’ll see. People who know the game know.”
Mitchell responded by trolling Simmons with a pair of sweatshirts. The first one – worn before Tuesday’s game against the Warriors – was emblazoned with the definition of the word rookie. The second
Ryan Switzer Color Rush Jersey , which he wore into the Moda Center on Wednesday, exclaimed simply, ”Rookie?”
Simmons was the first overall pick by Philadelphia in the 2016 draft but broke his foot and missed his entire first season. So technically he counts as a rookie this season.
Back in February, Lillard made his endorsement of Mitchell clear: ”I think he should be Rookie of the Year, for sure. Not just because of his numbers, but his impact on their team. He’s basically leading them. It’s special to see a rookie be able to do what he’s doing out there.”
Utah teammate Rudy Gobert said Mitchell has already proven his worth to the Jazz.
”Whether he wins it or not, I don’t think it really matters. In five years we won’t care if he won it or not. He showed that he’s poised to be a superstar in this league and he will be,” Gobert said.
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