The 2025 Minnesota Vikings have hit rock bottom.

J.J. McCarthy has consistently struggled to complete seemingly routine passes and has become a meme thanks to his “Nine” persona. Max Brosmer, who the fanbase hoped could be the next Brock Purdy, looked more like the second coming of Nathan Peterman with four interceptions against the Seattle Seahawks, including a disastrous 84-yard pick-six in the red zone on fourth-and-one. Carson Wentz, Minnesota’s most productive signal caller, was a below-average backup quarterback before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery after backing up for the injured McCarthy behind a battered Vikings offensive line.

So where do the Vikings go from here? Are they still all-in on McCarthy? Would they dare draft his replacement in a weak 2026 quarterback class, whether that be Ty Simpson, Dante Moore, or Garrett Nussmeier? Maybe Rob Brzezinski works some salary cap voodoo magic and clears enough cap space for Minnesota to trade for a younger, proven option like Kyler Murray? Kwesi Adofo-Mensah could even trade for a high-upside backup like Anthony Richardson, or a safer high-floor passer like Mac Jones.

Needless to say, the Vikings could solve their quarterback problem in several different ways. Perhaps the surest way to get Justin Jefferson back to his “savage mode” and “that kid phase of overly loving football” which he hasn’t felt since 2023, would be to reunite him with the same quarterback who was throwing him the ball back then. Yes, I’m talking about none other than Kirk Cousins, who is currently under contract with the Atlanta Falcons until 2028.

However, the Kirk Cousins situation is not as straightforward as it seems. Cousins has a $57.5 million cap hit in 2026 as the Falcons’ backup quarterback. Cousins has expressed his desire to be a starting quarterback, which will never be the case in Atlanta so long as they have faith in Michael Penix Jr. Cousins also has arguably the most powerful agent in the NFL in Mike McCartney, and I don’t see him accepting his role as a backup with the Falcons.

From Atlanta’s perspective, they don’t want to get rid of Cousins because he’s valuable insurance for their oft-injured franchise quarterback. His dead cap is also massive, and cutting him in 2025 wouldn’t be worth the cost. That could change this offseason, because Cousins has a potential out in his deal ahead of the 2026 season that allows the Falcons to cut him with a significantly lower dead cap hit of $35 million. If McCartney pushes for Cousins’ release this offseason and gets his wish, a reunion with the Vikings makes a ton of sense for both parties.

Cousins would begin his farewell tour as the undisputed starter on a familiar Vikings team with playoff aspirations in 2026. A gap year for J.J. McCarthy would allow him to change his fundamentals without the pressure of being replaced as the future franchise quarterback. Jefferson would have a proven commodity at quarterback, with whom he’s had previous success throwing him the football. Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah can spend more time evaluating the quarterback position and can hold out on drafting competition for McCarthy until a much stronger 2027 draft class arrives.

Yet, none of it matters unless Cousins can force his way out of Atlanta this offseason. There is no way the Vikings would willingly trade for Cousins on his current contract, and maybe Adofo-Mensah would rather move on from the Cousins era completely, even if he could make it to Minnesota on a vet minimum deal.

What I do know is that none of the quarterbacks on the Vikings roster have shown enough potential to justify continuing to invest in them without some form of proven competition. Minnesota needs production at quarterback, and fast. The most surefire way to get production at quarterback is simply to bring back the guy who already succeeded in it.

Is a Kirk Cousins reunion inevitable? It’s too early to tell, but it would make a whole lot of sense if he hits free agency.