Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell looks on after facing the Seattle Seahawks.
The Minnesota Vikings need a veteran quarterback even if they plan to roll with 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy as QB1 in 2025. With their options dwindling, could Kirk Cousins be an option for the Vikings?

The Vikings allowed Cousins to leave in free agency in 2024. He signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons but was benched after going 7-7 in Year 1.

Still under contract in Atlanta, Cousins could be available soon, writes ESPN’s Kevin Seifert.

“The Vikings plan to give McCarthy their first-team snaps during OTA practices and minicamp, sources said,” Seifert wrote on March 19. “The Vikings will need to continue working to find a veteran backup for McCarthy, as multiple candidates have signed elsewhere while the Vikings discussed Rodgers.

“Possibilities include veterans Joe Flacco and Carson Wentz. Former Vikings starter Kirk Cousins, now a backup with the Atlanta Falcons, could also become available later this offseason.”

The #Falcons still have Kirk Cousins on the roster, and he’s now guaranteed $100M (!) from his Atlanta contract.

Atlanta hopes to trade him and believes a team may become desperate enough to make a move once the QB market settles…

Let’s explain the situation:
Cousins, 36, threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions in 2024.

The four-time Pro Bowler sported a 2,328-17-7 line on 69.2% completion over his first nine starts, leading the Falcons to a 6-3 record.

Cousins, who spent six seasons with the Vikings, threw 1 TD to 9 INTs over his final five starts, completing 62.7% of his passes for 1,180 yards for the Falcons in 2024. He was 1-4, winning his final start before the Falcons turned to Michael Penix Jr., the No. 8 overall pick of the 2024 draft.

The Falcons have stood by their stance of not cutting Cousins.

Cousins has a $40 million cap hit in 2025. The Falcons let his $10 million roster bonus become guaranteed. They hope a potential suitor will grow desperate enough to trade for him.

Vikings Trade Pitch Brings Kirk Cousins Back to Minnesota
GettyMinnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell talks with Kirk Cousins #18 of the Atlanta Falcons.
Cousins has been linked to the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. That rumored interest likely only emboldens the Falcons, meaning the Vikings could need to trade for Cousins if they wanted to pursue him.

“‘Atlanta has been getting calls,’” The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reported hearing from a source in a post on X on March 18. “I heard talk of a 3rd-round pick being potentially actionable.”

This Heavy Sports trade proposal would meet that asking price to land Cousins.

Vikings get:

Kirk Cousins
Falcons get:

2026 third-round pick
The Vikings have four picks in the 2025 draft and only two are in the top 100.

One of those picks is their first-rounder at No. 24, and the other is No. 97. As of March 20, the Vikings do not own a fourth-round pick.

Their next pick after Round 3 is in the fifth at No. 139. They could go into their 2026 war chest. But with McCarthy in tow, that would be an ambitious investment for a one-year rental amid the current dearth of draft capital. The Vikings have already dipped into that pool too.

The Vikings can fit Cousins’ $27.5 million base salary under the cap as is.

However, the upcoming draft class will eat into their $32.6 million in space, as projected by Spotrac, making this path unlikely.

Kirk Cousins Chose Free Agency Over Battling J.J. McCarthy
GettyJ.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings participates in a drill during training camp.
Cousins met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank and made it clear he would prefer an opportunity to start next season. He will not get that in Atlanta barring an injury to Penix.

The issue with the idea of a reunion – which Siefert did not overtly suggest nor report was of interest to the Vikings – is that Cousins might not have much of an opportunity in a second act with Minnesota.

Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell is firmly behind McCarthy.

Part of his decision to leave in free agency was the Vikings’ plans to draft his successor.

That successor, McCarthy, is in the building. So even if Cousins wins the job in 2025, he would face repeating the process all over again in a year.