Getty
Kirk Cousins runs out the tunnel before a game.
Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell may go with a veteran free agent or seek a young quarterback with untapped potential this offseason to challenge JJ McCarthy for the starting role, but one thing is certain after general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got the axe last month — O’Connell can’t swing big and miss.
Given the limited options in free agency or via a trade, that could lead O’Connell to revert to a familiar, and therefore safer, choice in veteran Kirk Cousins. Darren Wolfson of KSTP on Thursday, February 12 named Cousins, formerly a six-year starter for Minnesota who played under O’Connell for two years, as the favorite in the clubhouse to land with the Vikings.
“Kirk Cousins is ‘as realistic’ of an option at quarterback for the #Vikings this offseason as any other external candidate, [Wolfson] mentioned via @SKORNorth,” the VikingzFanPage posted to X.
“If we are making betting odds, I’m making Kirk Cousins as the betting favorite,” Wolfson said.
Kirk Cousins Arguably Strongest QB Candidate for Minnesota Given History With Vikings
GettyAtlanta Flacons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Ben Solak of ESPN also named Cousins as the most likely QB candidate for the Vikings this offseason.
“Cousins is the obvious choice because he has scheme familiarity from his time in Minnesota as coach Kevin O’Connell’s starter,” Solak wrote earlier this week. “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,” Solak continued.
Cousins finished his career in Minnesota after the 2023 campaign, following an Achilles tear during the middle of the season. He later signed a four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons worth $180 million total, though insiders expect that franchise to release the quarterback at some point before free agency officially begins on March 11.
Cousins threw for 23,265 yards, 171 TDs and 55 INTs in 88 starts for the Vikings (50-37-1). The team made the playoffs twice with Cousins as the starter, going 1-2 in the postseason.
Aaron Rodgers, Vikings Have Mutual Interest in Joining Forces Next Season
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
While Wolfson named Cousins as the most likely candidate for the Vikings, he also noted interest from the team in Aaron Rodgers this offseason, and vice versa.
“It wasn’t universal across the board at TCO Performance Center not to sign Aaron Rodgers,” Wolfson said on Thursday. “And so, my sense is there’s still at least some relatively loud voices in Eagan that would be open-minded, minimum, if not pounding the table, but certainly open-minded to that possibility.”
“I still think in the end it’s a long shot that he actually ends up here,” Wolfson continued. “Now, is there interest from his side, those close to him? Yeah, I think that remains. There would be all sorts of interest in coming here to Minnesota.”
O’Connell spoke with Rodgers over the summer about joining the team, but ultimately decided not to bring him in so as to create the smoothest possible path to success for McCarthy.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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