{"id":738397,"date":"2026-02-08T16:43:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:43:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/738397\/"},"modified":"2026-02-08T16:43:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T16:43:16","slug":"its-time-to-fire-up-the-kirk-cousins-speculation-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/738397\/","title":{"rendered":"It’s time to fire up the Kirk Cousins speculation again"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Minnesota Vikings<\/a> are heading into the 2026 offseason with a clear objective to stabilize their quarterback room after a disappointing 2025 campaign. While head coach Kevin O\u2019Connell remains committed to the development of J.J. McCarthy<\/a>, the team’s lack of depth was exposed when the young starter missed seven games due to recurring health issues.<\/p>\n

When McCarthy was sidelined, undrafted rookie Max Brosmer struggled to maintain the offense, leading to a series of frustrating losses. Although McCarthy showed signs of growth in the final month of the season by throwing five touchdowns in his last four games, his durability remains a major concern for the organization.<\/p>\n

Consequently, reports from the New York Times indicate that the Vikings are determined to add a competent veteran<\/a> this March to provide both mentorship and insurance for their former first-round pick.<\/p>\n

One of the most compelling options for Minnesota is a potential reunion with Kirk Cousins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The veteran quarterback is currently with the Atlanta Falcons, but his future there has become uncertain following a strategic modification of his contract.<\/p>\n

Cousins and the Falcons adjusted the final two years of his deal, significantly lowering his 2026 salary while shifting $32.9 million into his 2027 base salary.<\/p>\n

This change means that if Cousins remains on the Atlanta roster past March 13<\/a>, the team will be on the hook for a total of $67.9 million in 2027.<\/p>\n

Because of this massive financial commitment, industry insiders expect the Falcons to release 37-year-old before the new league year begins.<\/p>\n

This would allow Cousins to enter free agency once again and seek a starting opportunity elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The connection between Cousins and the Vikings remains strong, as he has a previous working relationship with both Kevin O\u2019Connell and Atlanta’s new head coach, Kevin Stefanski.<\/p>\n

While Stefanski served as Cousins\u2019s offensive coordinator in Minnesota, the Vikings\u2019 current need for a reliable veteran makes them a natural destination for the four-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n

As the March 13 deadline approaches, all eyes will be on Atlanta to see if Cousins becomes the solution to Minnesota’s quarterback dilemma.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Minnesota Vikings are heading into the 2026 offseason with a clear objective to stabilize their quarterback room…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":738398,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2073],"tags":[7,4262,6192,294,233,259,2529,6,832,234],"class_list":["post-738397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-minnesota-vikings","tag-football","tag-jj-mccarthy","tag-kevin-oconnell","tag-kirk-cousins","tag-minnesota","tag-minnesota-vikings","tag-minnesotavikings","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-rumors","tag-vikings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116036017134432039","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=738397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/738397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/738398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=738397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=738397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=738397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}