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The bad news for the Vikings is that their three veteran quarterbacks are due to hit the open market. The good news is that the Vikings can sign any quarterback they want, whether he played for the team last year or didn’t.

The best news could be the Kirk Cousins is one of those available quarterbacks.

Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, appearing on Friday with Paul Allen on KFAN in Minneapolis, was asked to describe what he knows about Cousins.

“Obviously, I know a pretty good deal about him because we’re in the same division you know the last two seasons,” DeFilippo said. “And I’ve had to compete against Kirk at some other places I’ve been. So obviously Kirk’s a heck of a football player. He’s got a lot of skills. He’s accurate. He’s got plenty of arm strength, and does some really nice thing. I mean, Kirk’s a very good quarterback.”

While that’s a far cry from DeFilippo saying “we’re going to pursue Cousins,” it keeps Cousins in play for Minnesota, if the Vikings will be accepting Cousins’ input when the time comes to pick a quarterback for 2018 and beyond.

And, yes, DeFilippo probably should have said nothing about Cousins. Even though DeFilippo’s comments were general and measured and ultimately not a direct expression of interest, Washington is currently motivated to get something/anything other than a 2019 compensatory draft pick for Cousins. One way to do that would be to file tampering charges against anyone/everyone who crosses the line or even comes close to it, especially since the punishment of the offending team in a tampering case sometimes works to the benefit of the victimized team, via for example a flip-flop of draft picks in a given round.

So while it’s always smart to never comment on a player currently under contract with another team, it’s specifically prudent not to talk about Cousins for the next three weeks, because Washington surely is waiting, watching, and listening for any chance, legitimate or flimsy, to secure a “win” as it prepares to lose Cousins for good.