Imagine, if you will:<\/p>\n
Somewhere in the basement of TCO Performance Center, Kevin O\u2019Connell<\/a> and J.J. McCarthy<\/a> are watching the Super Bowl. O\u2019Connell\u2019s eyes were bloodshot from the past month, wrapping up a 9-8 season and watching Kwesi Adofo-Mensah\u2019s dismissal. He was also fighting tears of rage as Sam Darnold<\/a> hoisted the Lombardi Trophy after defeating Drake Maye<\/a> in a battle of two quarterbacks the Vikings could have had<\/a>.<\/p>\n In the other corner of the room, McCarthy was practicing some mannerisms from an Under Armour commercial he saw when he was six years old. Just as he was about to start barking to show he had that dawg in him, a bright light appeared off in the distance. The glow became brighter, and it turned out it wasn\u2019t just one light.<\/p>\n It was the pair of headlights on a 1987 Ford conversion van.<\/p>\n The man was approaching the facility, driving two miles an hour under the speed limit and obeying traffic laws just to be safe. The opening chords of Creed\u2019s hit song \u201cHigher<\/a>\u201d blared through the cassette player, and Kirk Cousins<\/a> stepped out of the door and said, \u201cI hear you need a quarterback.\u201d<\/p>\n O\u2019Connell\u2019s tears of rage became tears of joy. Cousins was the security blanket who saved jobs during his time in Minnesota, and could do the same as the Minnesota Vikings are uncertain about their future at quarterback. It\u2019s a pipe dream that some fans have longed for since Cousins\u2019s departure, but could a reunion really save the Vikings?<\/p>\n To many people, the answer is yes. The Atlanta Falcons are about to release<\/a> Cousins, and he\u2019ll be free to choose his next destination. With the Vikings struggling at quarterback, Cousins could come in and be the baseline that O\u2019Connell didn\u2019t have with McCarthy a year ago.<\/p>\n While the Vikings wound up with a winning record, they could have done more if Cousins were under center. Minnesota\u2019s defense is better than anything that Cousins had during his previous stint with the Vikings, and O\u2019Connell was the supportive father figure who propped Cousins up after years of feuding with Mike Zimmer.<\/p>\n There is also the supporting cast that will be on the field with Cousins. We already know that Cousins has a rapport with Justin Jefferson<\/a> and Jordan Addison<\/a>, and that group could become deeper if they find a way to bring back Jalen Nailor<\/a> this offseason. Cousins could also revive T.J. Hockenson<\/a>\u2019s career after two lost seasons and bring the offense back to its stable floor.<\/p>\n Most importantly, the franchise would be relevant again. Cousins could get the Vikings back to the playoffs wearing his signature chain every step of the way. The camp battle between McCarthy and Cousins would immediately go viral, as Kirko Chainz battles Nine in a feud that could main-event SummerSlam later this year.<\/p>\n All of this sounds great until the alarm clock goes off and O\u2019Connell awakens from his slumber. Bringing in Cousins, who also has previous experience in his offense, looks like a great scenario. However, other factors could lead the Vikings to make a different decision.<\/p>\n The first is that Cousins will turn 38 during next year\u2019s training camp. Cousins and Vikings fans have always envisioned that he\u2019d play forever. While he played better another year from the torn Achilles<\/a> that ended his time in Minnesota, he didn\u2019t look great, completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions.<\/p>\n Unless the Vikings are getting their version of the ageless Gordie Howe<\/a>, the ball could drop at any moment. Such a scenario would leave them scrambling back to McCarthy. If he hasn\u2019t absorbed the fundamentals and playbook, the Vikings would fall even further, perhaps costing O\u2019Connell his job.<\/p>\n Then there is the matter of salary. With $321.4 million in career earnings, Cousins is the third-highest-grossing quarterback in NFL history, per Over The Cap.<\/a> His chances of chasing down Aaron Rodgers<\/a> ($395.8 million) and Matthew Stafford<\/a> ($408 million) are likely over, but he didn\u2019t get to this point by taking nostalgia discounts.<\/p>\n The Vikings opted not to offer him a $180 million<\/a> contract in 2024, and Cousins could see this as a slight and make up for lost earnings. A lot of this is speculative, but he could also have a big check waiting for him\u00a0as an analyst for CBS<\/a> or another major media network, and he\u00a0was in true \u201cHead of the Negotiation Table\u201d form when an SI reporter asked about<\/a> the potential for a reunion\u00a0during Super Bowl week.<\/p>\n \u201cI kind of keep an open mind and those conversations with the Falcons will happen in March and kind of see where it all goes,\u201d Cousins said. \u201cBut I\u2019ve learned through my 14 years that anything can happen. I don\u2019t really know what to expect. I think what I\u2019ve learned is to not try to predict or say what I think is gonna happen, and who knows where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n These are the kind of quotes that Cousins sent out into the world before cashing in with the Falcons. It\u2019s also fitting for a player who renegotiated his contract with Atlanta earlier this offseason, pushing $67 million<\/a> that is set to become guaranteed at the start of the new league year.<\/p>\n Unless the Vikings want to compete with a CBS check that could be eight figures, or perhaps get into a bidding battle with another desperate franchise, Cousins wouldn\u2019t be the low-risk, cheap option that the Vikings want. That\u2019s Minnesota\u2019s biggest problem right now.<\/p>\n Chasing Cousins if he becomes available isn\u2019t the issue. It\u2019s that the Vikings are more obsessed with their floor than their ceiling. Sure, Cousins could come to Minnesota and get them back to the playoffs. But even if they won a game, it wouldn\u2019t feel like any progress toward winning a championship.<\/p>\n