Very Soon, The Kirk Cousins Call Needs to be Made
The Vikings have almost certainly moved on. One still does wonder, though, about the possibility within Kirk Cousins.
The veteran is seeing one of his NFL final seasons burned up in Atlanta as a backup. He is a victim of his own desire for job security. Landing so much guaranteed money was supposed to keep him employed as a Falcon, a strategy that’s working too well. Is there nevertheless some sort of scenario where Minnesota’s decision makers opt to work with Atlanta to adjust the deal to facilitate a trade?
Kirk Cousins & The Vikings’ QB Turmoil
Atlanta can talk the talk. So far, they have walked the walk. The reality that remains: offloading Mr. Cousins for an asset is still the best outcome.
Bringing the veteran to Georgia was costly. Not only did they hand over a four-year contract coming in at $180 million, but the Falcons also got dinged by the league for tampering, losing money and draft capital. And then there has been the subsequent headache due to keeping the well-paid passer in town even though Michael Penix Jr. is now leading the offense.
Look around and there are some heavyweight football publications discussing the option of a Falcons/Vikings trade involving Cousins.
Over on Pro Football Talk, Mike Florio writes, “Then there’s this possibility. With two weeks left until the trade deadline arrives, could the Vikings pull the rip cord on the Kirk Cousins emergency option? While the Falcons possibly have a diminished appetite to trade Cousins now that starter Michael Penix Jr. is day-to-day with a bone bruise, the Vikings presumably would get through Thursday night’s game at the Chargers and the following Sunday’s visit to the Lions before making a final decision in the two remaining days before the time for 2025 trades ends.”
Earlier in the week, Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen of ESPN assembled a list of the league’s top trade candidates. Kirk Cousins sees his name included, attached to just a single team as a potential fit: the Minnesota Vikings.
“Like with [Russell] Wilson,” the opening blurb begins, “Cousins would need injuries at the quarterback position to spark a market. He is 37, and he struggled with interceptions last season (16), but Cousins could help a team in a bind. Wilson has a more team-friendly contract than that of Cousins, whose $10 million guarantee in 2026 is a hurdle.” There’s then an insistence that “a Cousins reunion in Minneapolis [is] a convenient talking point for fans and media.”
Circle back around to one of the key words from the ESPN paragraph: “convenient.” What makes Kirk Cousins so?
For starters, the veteran has a strong understanding of the scheme. He could get plugged in tomorrow and function reasonably well. Even better is that what has made him successful — accuracy and brains — are what Coach O’Connell most desires in passers. Plus, Cousins has the capacity to be surgical when leaning on play action and when attacking the intermediate area of the field.
Furthermore, he’s almost certainly available — but only for the right price.
The Falcons have proven to be stubborn. Merely handing Cousins away is not what’s going to occur. Rather, some team is going to need to ship out a legit asset. Making things even spicier is that the draft compensation appears to be tied to how much money gets left behind on Atlanta’s books.
If, for instance, Minnesota were to take on the full freight of Cousins’ deal — not happening — then the outgoing pick would be more modest. If, however, the Falcons moved around money so as to keep a larger portion in Georgia, then the Vikings would need to bump up the draft pick compensation to offset the financial loss.
Without question, the best outcome for the Vikings is to see Carson Wentz slide back down to QB2 as J.J. McCarthy sees the QB1 crown placed on his head. Proving to be worthy of such an honor will shutdown the speculation. Seeing McCarthy struggle, though, could ratchet up the need to make a move since so much has been invested in winning in 2025.
At 37, Kirk Cousins is older, but he may yet have some good ball in him.
