CFL star says he rejected NFL offer because Vikings didn't want QB controversy
The Minnesota Vikings aren’t off to the worst start. Through four games, the club sits 2-2, but in a tough NFC North, that puts them in last place.
What has caused a lot of frustration for fans of the club — and receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen — has been the team’s lack of a passing game largely due to QB Kirk Cousins’ struggles. The Vikings rank last in passing attempts per game (24.8) and second-last in passing yards per contest (169).
Last December, CFL star Bo Levi Mitchell had a tryout with Minnesota. And when he explained to the club that it was his goal to take over as the team’s starter, they weren’t too keen about the idea.
“I said, ‘I'm gonna come in here and I'm gonna take Kirk's job,’” Mitchell stated on ‘The Bo Show’ on Sportsnet 960 The Fan. “His reply to me was, ‘No, we don't want you to do that. We want you to come in here and have a good quarterback room, help teach him things, help be a supporter of him, but don't cause controversy.’”
Mitchell has been one of the best talents at quarterback in the CFL, winning the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award twice. But the Vikings were essentially telling him he wouldn’t have a chance to compete with Cousins for the starting gig.
“I don't understand that thought process,” he outlined. “All that tells me is there's a culture in that building right now that, ‘Hey, your job is secure because of the money we paid you. Don't worry about anything you do or the decisions you make or anything the media says, just do what we tell you to do and you're going to be fine.’”
Cousins signed a fully-guaranteed three-year, $84-million contract with the Vikings prior to last season.
Mitchell promised on his show that Minnesota’s offence would be running much differently if he were at the helm.
“I would've came in and I'd have been throwing the ball deep every single play,” Mitchell said. “If you put me with Adam Thielen, Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph - sorry, Dalvin Cook, but the ball is going down the field.”
Following a loss to the Chicago Bears where the offence was held to just 6 points, Minnesota is sure looking like it could use a gun slinger right about now.
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