{"id":845722,"date":"2026-03-31T21:52:26","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T21:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/845722\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T21:52:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T21:52:26","slug":"packers-kick-the-tires-on-ex-vikings-qb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/845722\/","title":{"rendered":"Packers Kick the Tires on Ex-Vikings QB"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"GreenAug 8, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Green Bay Packers helmet sits on the sidelines during the game against the Houston Texans at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

By the time the regular season rolls around in September, there\u2019s at least an average chance that former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins<\/a> plays for the Green Bay Packers. The top boss for the Vikings\u2019 main foe confirmed this week that this staff has kicked the tires on Cousins, who remains available three weeks into free agency.<\/p>\n

The idea sounds strange on the surface, but Green Bay may be surveying every veteran path behind Jordan Love.<\/p>\n

If the relationship came together, Cousins would serve as the QB2 behind Jordan Love.<\/p>\n

Cousins-to-Packers Theory Validated<\/p>\n

Never say never, evidently. <\/p>\n

\"KirkAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) drops back to pass during first-half action against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on Nov. 10, 2024, in New Orleans. Cousins operated the offense with rhythm early, guiding drives in a divisional matchup as Atlanta looked to establish control on the road. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Packers GM: We\u2019ve Explored Cousins<\/p>\n

The Packers have a QB2 opening and curiously haven\u2019t filled it, with the NFL Draft three weeks away.<\/p>\n

Asked this week by reporters if he\u2019s explored Kirk Cousins as an option, general manager Brian Gutekunst replied<\/a>, \u201cWe\u2019ve discussed a lot of those options. Obviously, that\u2019s a guy who\u2019s got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league, so we\u2019ve certainly discussed all those kind of things, and we\u2019ll see where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Green Bay currently has Desmond Ridder<\/a> \u2014 also a former Viking \u2014 and Kyle McCord on tap to battle for the job this summer.<\/p>\n

A Void without Malik Willis<\/p>\n

Willis was a hot commodity, and Miami quickly signed him after his breakout campaign in 2025 as the Packers\u2019 QB2. The move made sense because the Dolphins recently hired Jon-Eric Sullivan<\/a> from Green Bay\u2019s front office as general manager and Jeff Hafley, the Packers\u2019 former defensive coordinator, as head coach, thus maintaining established connections.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the offseason, Willis drew interest from Vikings fans, but Minnesota ultimately signed Kyler Murray to a team-friendly contract.<\/p>\n

Willis wanted a chance to start, which he will get in Miami, leaving a void in Green Bay, with names like Cousins now in the orbit as a replacement. <\/p>\n

The Anthony Richardson Angle<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the rumor mill has also spun a tale involving Richardson to Green Bay, an NFL refugee on his own team in Indianapolis. The Colts re-signed Daniel Jones<\/a> earlier this month for mucho dinero and apparently like last year\u2019s rookie Riley Leonard.<\/p>\n

Richardson needs a new NFL home to get a chance at a Sam Darnold-like redemption story, and as the Packers don\u2019t have a reputable backup quarterback, the stars could align for Richardson in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Gil Martin, who writes about the Packers, explained last week<\/a>, \u201cMany observers see parallels between Willis and Richardson. Like Willis, Richardson has a strong arm and excellent athletic ability. Both are mobile quarterbacks who can buy time in the pocket or gain yards using their legs if plays break down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Packers should offer the Colts the same deal they offered the Titans for Willis. Give Indy a seventh-round pick and see if they bite. If they don\u2019t, the Packers could wait to see if the Colts release Richardson outright if they can\u2019t trade him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BrianGreen Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst addresses reporters during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on Feb. 24, 2026, in Indianapolis. Gutekunst discussed roster construction and offseason strategy while meeting with media during one of the league\u2019s most significant evaluation events. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Richardson has just 15 starts under his belt through three seasons.<\/p>\n

Martin continued, \u201cWorking with LaFleur and Love and getting a chance to play for a contending team would certainly be enticements for Richardson to sign with the Packers if he is ultimately released. The addition of Richardson could be a win-win for player and team.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there is no need to overpay to get Richardson, especially since he has only one year left on his contract (Willis had two). We\u2019ll see if Gutekunst is able to work out a deal, or if he can find a better backup elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

All Other QB2 Options<\/p>\n

If Cousins ultimately does not land in Green Bay \u2014 he has also been linked to the Los Angeles Rams, Las Vegas Raiders, and Pittsburgh Steelers \u2014 the remaining free-agent options look like this:<\/p>\n

Jimmy Garoppolo<\/p>\n

Tyrod Taylor<\/p>\n

Skylar Thompson<\/p>\n

Russell Wilson<\/p>\n

\"KirkAtlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) speaks with officials during a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 16, 2024, in Paradise, Nevada. Cousins engaged with umpire Rich Hall and referee Shawn Smith while managing in-game communication during a cross-conference matchup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Via trade, the Packers, in theory, could also explore Will Levis<\/a> from the Tennessee Titans or Drew Lock from the Seattle Seahawks. SI.com\u2018s Lane Mills noted<\/a> on a Levis trade earlier this month, \u201cA trade may benefit both parties to the best possible extent, too. For Tennessee, drawing any sort of value (particularly draft capital) out of a player who isn\u2019t playing in any capacity at this point would be a net positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the other hand, for Levis, the opportunity to try again outside of Nashville in an offense that has no other choice is equally appealing. A trade looks like an amicable solution to a slow-rising problem; one that Titans fans shouldn\u2019t be shocked to see some to fruition in due time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or \u2014 Green Bay could explore a rookie quarterback from the middle or late rounds next month, possibly Penn State\u2019s Drew Allar or North Dakota State\u2019s Cole Payton. <\/p>\n

Cousins will turn 38 this summer. The Packers have the NFL\u2019s eighth-best Super Bowl odds entering April, and sportsbooks expect them to finish second place in the NFC North in 2026, behind the Detroit Lions.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Aug 8, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA; A Green Bay Packers helmet sits on the sidelines during the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":845723,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2072],"tags":[7,41,345,2514,2513,6,428],"class_list":{"0":"post-845722","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-green-bay-packers","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-green-bay","10":"tag-green-bay-packers","11":"tag-greenbay","12":"tag-greenbaypackers","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-packers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116326013418943308","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845722","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=845722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/845722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/845723"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=845722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=845722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=845722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}