Feb. 17, 2026, 10:23 p.m. CT

The Minnesota Vikings need a quarterback. They need someone to compete with J.J. McCarthy for the starting job and to bring stability to the quarterback room as a whole. There likely won’t be many high-level quarterbacks available in free agency, but one name could bring back familiarity and a level of professionalism the Vikings lacked at the position in 2025.

Kirk Cousins isn’t a free agent yet, but Adam Schefter reported two weeks ago that the Atlanta Falcons were looking to release the 37-year-old quarterback. He has spent the past two years in Atlanta after playing his previous six seasons in Minnesota.

Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport ranked Cousins as his 6th-best available quarterback this offseason and cited the Vikings as a fit.

In many regards, Cousins is what he is. He’s not going to throw for 4,500 yards like he did in Minnesota in 2022. Or toss 30-plus touchdowns the way he did the season before that. Those days are past.

But Cousins is a steady veteran presence under center who has started 167 games at the professional level. He’s not going to be expensive either—it’s reasonable to expect he’ll ink a deal in the neighborhood of the one-year, $13.6 million pact Aaron Rodgers got from the Steelers a year ago.

Cousins is a temporary fix at his position. But whether it’s a team looking to add competition under center like the Minnesota Vikings or a band-aid for teams with an unclear future at the position like the New York Jets, there will be a market for his services.

Assuming Cousins will take any deal worth market value feels unrealistic, even though he will be 38 when the 2026 season begins. But he would be a cheaper option that wouldn’t require Minnesota to trade draft capital to acquire.

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Cousins also played well in two seasons under Kevin O’Connell, throwing 47 touchdowns and only 19 interceptions. He led the Vikings to a 13-4 record in 2022 and helped dig the team out of a 0-3 hole in 2023 before tearing his Achilles tendon in October.

He was a polarizing figure in his six seasons in Minnesota, but the Vikings know what they would be getting if they brought Cousins back. It may not lead to All-Pro quarterback play, but it could provide the level of reliability the team needs in 2026.