The Kirk Cousins Thing Needs to Stop

Few players have been as polarizing in Vikings franchise history as Kirk Cousins, a man who quarterbacked the football team for six seasons. His contracts paid him a bunch of money, his statistics and even accolades looked decent, but the team’s success didn’t match the expectations throughout his tenure. Feel free to assign blame as you see fit; we won’t entertain this debate here.

The Kirk Cousins Thing Needs to Stop

After year six in the Twin Cities, he left via free agency, joining the Atlanta Falcons. That decision backfired as he landed on the bench after 14 games, making room for first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr.

Now, Cousins might want to seek other options. The only open starting spot is in Pittsburgh, and depending on Aaron Rodgers’ prolonged decision, it might close at some point.

Well, insert the Vikings, who are looking for a backup quarterback as insurance for first-year starter J.J. McCarthy.

On Sunday, CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin included the purple franchise as a destination for the veteran. Last week, The Athletic’s Alec Lewis floated the idea on social media. And even ahead of free agency, Daniel Jeremiah mentioned his name as a target for the Vikings.

On the surface, it’s probably not the worst idea. Cousins knows many Vikings coaches and teammates and wouldn’t have to learn a totally different offense. In addition to that, he is a veteran who could keep a season alive if something happened to McCarthy. It’s not hard to trust him more under center than current QB2 Brett Rypien or a free agent like Carson Wentz.

But that scenario of a reunion doesn’t exist for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper.

The Money

Something that shouldn’t be controversial at all is the fact that the Falcons regret handing their new quarterback that contract. It was a four-year deal worth $180 million with $100 million in guarantees.

If the Vikings traded for him, they’d pick up a base salary of $27.5 million in 2025, and unless the Falcons pay, let’s say, $20 million of that, the Vikes would just look elsewhere for a backup passer. He also has a $10 million roster bonus in 2026 that was triggered in March of this year. If his new team wanted to keep him throughout 2026, they’d be on the hook for another $35 million in base salary, and a 2027 roster bonus of $10 million would unlock next March.

Does any of that sound like a fun deal for the Vikings? It surely doesn’t.

The No-Trade Clause

Cousins had a no-trade clause in his last Vikings deal, and he managed to get one from the Falcons. They can’t just ship him to a horrendous team with cap space while doing the Brock Osweiler, getting the other franchise to take on that money by sending picks with him.

Of course, Cousins could also say ‘no’ to any other deal, and it’s easy to imagine him passing on Minnesota. Let’s check his situation in Atlanta. He is the backup behind a 2024 first-round draft pick, and barring injury or disastrous play, he won’t enter the starting lineup. Does that sound familiar?

Well, in Minnesota, he’d sit behind a 2024 first-round draft pick, and barring injury or disastrous play, he wouldn’t enter the starting lineup. See the problem? It’s a lateral move.

If the Steelers called and wanted to make him their QB1 or the Saints needed a replacement for Derek Carr, those scenarios are different, and he might be willing to go there, but the Vikings? That doesn’t make too much sense from a player’s perspective.

The Pressure

Let’s return to the Vikings’ side. They are looking for a backup, someone who could mentor McCarthy and step in if necessary. Cousins could probably do that.

However, what if McCarthy throws a few picks in the fourth game of the year and his backup is someone who used to be able to provide at least average quarterback play in his sleep, especially if it’s someone half the fanbase would go to war for? When last seen in purple, he shredded the Packers and the 49ers. Suddenly, folks would want to bench the young guy for the old guy.

Does McCarthy break under that pressure? Unlikely. He has shown that he has a strong mindset, but the outside noise could surely be a distraction. Imagine the questions from reporters in the locker room that any player or coach had to face about a potential QB change after a Week 6 loss against Detroit.

That has the potential to become an explosive situation, and this Vikings regime preaches the importance of their culture in every other sentence.

Bottom Line

Cousins brings some of the qualities the Vikings are looking for, but the move doesn’t make too much sense from his side, and the franchise should look elsewhere for financial and locker room reasons.

Ryan Tannehill and Carson Wentz are free agents; Sam Howell or Will Levis could be trade candidates; and a day-three pick could be spent to acquire a backup. It doesn’t have to be the previous franchise quarterback as a backup for the new franchise quarterback.

Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.