The Minnesota Vikings picked a bad offseason to need a quarterback.
There are limited options in free agency or via the trade market, which means a reunion — followed by a collective sigh from the majority of Vikings fans — could be on the way in Minneapolis, while Sam Darnold celebrates his Super Bowl championship with the Seattle Seahawks one year removed from a 14-3 campaign as Minnesota’s starter.
Ben Solak of ESPN wrote on Tuesday, February 10 that while a handful of young trade options might make sense for Kevin O’Connell this offseason, as he searches to identify competition for JJ McCarthy, the Vikings are liable to land on Kirk Cousins.
Minnesota will absolutely bring in competition for J.J. McCarthy, as it reportedly tried to do last season with [Aaron] Rodgers. Cousins is the obvious choice because he has scheme familiarity from his time in Minnesota as coach Kevin O’Connell’s starter.
But O’Connell is a big believer in quarterback development, and I would not be surprised if he wants to go for a younger player to challenge McCarthy’s seat not just in 2026 but also beyond. Every toolsy young passer who can operate from the pocket (Tanner McKee, Anthony Richardson, Will Levis, etc.) is on my radar for a surprise Vikings trade.
(It will probably just be Cousins, though, let’s be honest.)
Kirk Cousins’ History With Vikings, Low Cost Projection Render Him Viable QB Candidate in Minnesota
GettyAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported ahead of the Super Bowl that the Atlanta Falcons will release Cousins this offseason, even after the team hired his former offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski as its new head coach.
“Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins is expected to be released before the start of the new league year in March, allowing him to choose where, or if, he wants to play in 2026, per league sources,” Schefter wrote on X Saturday.
Cousins has played two seasons of a four-year, $180 million contract in Atlanta. He turns 38 a few weeks prior to the start of the 2026 campaign and has earned nearly $322 million over the course of his 14-year NFL career.
Spotrac projects Cousins’ market value at one year and $10.7 million, which would be manageable for a Vikings team currently facing a $40.2 million salary cap deficit.
Cousins’ limited earning potential elsewhere, combined with the ability to return to a familiar situation and a location in which his family enjoyed living, should put Minnesota at the top of Cousins’ wish list.
Kirk Cousins Found Considerable Success Over 6 Seasons With Vikings
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
Cousins played six years for the Vikings, leading the team to a record of 50-37-1. He also led the team to playoffs twice, earning a postseason mark of 1-2.
All told, Cousins passed for 23,265 yards during his time in purple and gold, adding 171 TDs and 55 INTs. He also earned spots in three Pro Bowls. Cousins departed for Atlanta following the 2023 campaign, during which he suffered an Achilles tear.
McCarthy, now 23, posted a record of 6-4 in the first 10 starts of his career last season after missing all of 2024 with a knee injury. He completed 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs. He also rushed the football for 181 yards and four scores one year after the team made him the No. 10 overall pick in the draft.
Minnesota fired former general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah following four years on the job, one season after he let Darnold leave for Seattle in favor of promoting McCarthy, who at that point had never taken a regular-season snap in the NFL.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Vikings Expected to Settle on Reunion With $322 Million QB as JJ McCarthy Alternative appeared first on Heavy Sports.