Strange 2024 QB Rumors Have Already Begun for the Vikings
Josh Frey
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For the first time since signing Kirk Cousins back in 2018, the Minnesota Vikings have uncertainty at the quarterback position.
Cousins entered the final year of his contract this year, and after he tore his Achilles in Week 8, the potential final year of his tenure came to an abrupt end. Since then, the Vikings have gone through a QB carousel that appears to be ending with Jaren Hall while some strange QB rumors have begun to swirl regarding 2024.
Strange 2024 QB Rumors Have Already Begun for the Vikings
The rumors largely reside out west after the Denver Broncos made the decision on Wednesday to bench Russell Wilson for the final two games of the season. In his place, Jarrett Stidham is set to make starts for the 7-8 Broncos as they attempt to make one final push for the playoffs.
Then, later on Wednesday night, Dianna Russini of The Athletic made an even more shocking report: the Broncos plan to cut Wilson in March and move on at the QB position. Russini tweeted on Wednesday, “Russell Wilson is expecting to be cut by the Denver Broncos in March, per league sources. For almost two months, the quarterback has been starting knowing the organization was most likely going to move on him from after this season.”
A big reason for this decision comes because of Wilson’s $37 million in injury guarantees for the 2025 season. In order to avoid this money from kicking in, the Broncos have to cut him by the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March, again per Russini.
As a result, some folks and oddsmakers have already begun theorizing about Wilson’s next landing spot. And, of course, some of these oddsmakers are projecting the Vikings as the favorite to sign Wilson if and when he hits free agency.
This is an odd reality for a couple reasons. First and foremost, if the Vikings want to utilize a veteran quarterback as their starting quarterback in 2024, it will almost certainly be Cousins. He has played some of the best football of his career under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage, and had he not gotten hurt this season, there is at least a decent chance that he would be in the MVP conversation.
On top of that, the Vikings carry $28.5 million in dead money from Cousins in 2024. So, essentially, if the Vikings were to let Cousins walk and sign Wilson to, say, a one-year/$30 million deal, the Vikings would be utilizing nearly $60 million of their salary cap for the position.
That is a ton towards one spot on the roster when the team also has to figure out a contract for Danielle Hunter that will likely carry a similar annual value while retaining other depth pieces and trying to improve through free agency.
Making matters worse, it doesn’t help the Vikings find a true long-term solution at the QB position. All Wilson would be in Minnesota is another aging quarterback who could be serviceable for a year or two before the Vikings find themselves in this same position again.
Overall, the most likely QB solutions for the 2024 Vikings revolve around either re-signing Cousins or drafting a prospect early in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bringing in Wilson wouldn’t make a ton of sense, unless it came at a huge discount, and even then, he doesn’t fix any of Minnesota’s long-term problems at the position.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.