A veteran QB's return ignites debate. Can he truly elevate the Vikings, or is this a short-term fix with significant financial and positional risks?
There's a familiar face seeing Minnesota Vikings buzz this offseason. Former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has become a trending choice by experts to head to Minnesota to quarterback the team.
On the surface it seems like a good move. It's mutually beneficial in that the Vikings need a quality quarterback and Cousins needs a chance to be a starting quarterback. It's a win-win. Yet the potential move is not seeing only positive noise from those who follow the team.
Chris Schad of Zone Coverage says the move is "not the answer" to Minnesota's quarterback questions. He wrote about it on Tuesday.
"Cousins will turn 38 during next year’s training camp. Cousins and Vikings fans have always envisioned that he’d play forever. While he played better another year from the torn Achilles that ended his time in Minnesota, he didn’t look great, completing 61.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions.
Unless the Vikings are getting their version of the ageless Gordie Howe, the ball could drop at any moment. Such a scenario would leave them scrambling back to McCarthy. If he hasn’t absorbed the fundamentals and playbook, the Vikings would fall even further, perhaps costing O’Connell his job.
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. His chances of chasing down Aaron Rodgers ($395.8 million) and Matthew Stafford ($408 million) are likely over, but he didn’t get to this point by taking nostalgia discounts."
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) throws a pass during the game against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Dale Zanine-Imagn ImagesObviously, the big question is the age of Cousins. Whether or not you believe Cousins can elevate Minnesota to Super Bowl heights, the guy can still play. He'd make the Vikings a much more competitive football team. The issue revolves around bringing in a quarterback that won't be there for long.
By all accounts, Kirk Cousins is a rental quarterback in that he's probably not going to be playing for much longer. Quarterbacks have defied odds before, so maybe Cousins could have three or four more years left of quality football. If so, that's great. But the Vikings cannot count on it.
Money could be an issue, although the Vikings are probably a lot more open to spending to have better quarterback play after what the team lacked at the position in 2026. Even so, if the Vikings do sign Cousins, it won't be a long-term fix, even if it makes the team immediately better in the short-term.