{"id":841895,"date":"2026-03-29T23:48:30","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/841895\/"},"modified":"2026-03-29T23:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T23:48:30","slug":"former-vikings-qb-kirk-cousins-gets-major-free-agency-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/841895\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Gets Major Free Agency Update"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Kirk\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons.<\/p>\n

As the NFL<\/a> moves into the third wave of free agency, the future of former Minnesota Vikings<\/a>\u00a0quarterback Kirk Cousins<\/a> has become one of the more prominent storylines around the league.<\/p>\n

Cousins left the Vikings for a $180 million contract from the Atlanta Falcons<\/a> in 2024, where he played for two years before his release earlier this offseason. At this point in the process, the argument as to who is the best available veteran quarterback remaining on the market comes down to Cousins and Aaron Rodgers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Somewhat ironically, the Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> are the one playoff contender still in need of a starting QB after both pursuing a trade for Cousins ahead of last year and ultimately signing Rodgers to a one-season contract.<\/p>\n

Rodgers appears to have the leg up in Pittsburgh if he wants the job, particularly after the team hired Mike McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin, who stepped down following the Steelers\u2019 blowout loss to the Houston Texans<\/a> in Round 1 of the AFC playoffs in January. McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 years while they were both with the Green Bay Packers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That said, Tom Pelissero told the \u201cRich Eisen Show\u201d on Friday, March 27 that Cousins remains an option in Pittsburgh as the team waits to hear from Rodgers about his potential retirement heading into his age-43 campaign.<\/p>\n

\u201cKirk Cousins is the one, and I know they called on him last year, and the Falcons at the time didn\u2019t want to trade him,\u201d Pelissero said<\/a>. \u201cBut now Kirk Cousins is free. Cousins potentially could be an option if they pivot away from Aaron Rodgers, which hasn\u2019t happened yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins Wants to Play in NFL Again Next Season\"Kirk<\/p>\n

GettyFormer Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.<\/p>\n

Cousins recently said he is excited to play somewhere in 2026 and feels better than he has since tearing his Achilles tendon midway through the 2023 campaign, which marked his last on-field action in a Vikings uniform.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think getting away from the Achilles tear over two years now, I feel rejuvenated,\u201d Cousins said<\/a> during an interview with former NFL head coach Jon Gruden March 25. \u201cGetting to play last year at the end, going 4-0 down the stretch, put the wind in my sails again. I feel really good. Probably the healthiest I\u2019ve been in awhile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cousins added that he is unsure of where he might get an opportunity, though it is clear he is looking for a chance to start in his age-38 season.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where it\u2019ll be. I don\u2019t know under what circumstances. But I like the idea of getting back next year and playing, \u201d Cousins continued. \u201cWe\u2019ll see, but I\u2019d like to get back out there and give it another shot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kirk Cousins Could Be Short-Term Option for Raiders This Season\"Kirk<\/p>\n

GettyFormer Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.<\/p>\n

The other most viable option for Cousins is the Las Vegas Raiders<\/a>, who don\u2019t currently have a starting-caliber QB on their roster following a trade of Geno Smith to the New York Jets<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Las Vegas will select No. 1 overall in the coming draft and are all but a lock to take Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza in that spot. However, Mendoza may not be ready to start Week 1.<\/p>\n

That opens up a potential window for Cousins to begin the season as a starter in Las Vegas, which could lead to a better than expected campaign and other opportunities elsewhere down the road, perhaps even ahead of the mid-season trade deadline if some team deals with serious QB injury issues, which happens at several locations across the league most years.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMax Dible<\/a> 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<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Vikings\n\t\t<\/p>\n

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