Jan 1, 2023; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during warmups prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports.
Everything about the course of the Minnesota Vikings offseason begins with one man — quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The 35-year-old is tentatively scheduled to hit free agency in seven weeks, and the Vikings’ leadership has hinted since last year its desire to re-sign Cousins for a seventh season, but as always with the incumbent quarterback, money is the sticking point. The next handful of weeks will be used to determine if Minnesota and Cousins’ representation can meet in the middle financially on an extension.
And if Cousins leaves after six years, his favored landing spot, the Atlanta Falcons, really, really makes sense.
Atlanta appears on the verge of hiring Bill Belichick as its next coach. It would be a little weird if it didn’t, right? The Falcons quarterback experiment involving Desmond Ridder and former Viking Taylor Heinicke flopped completely in 2023. The Falcons likely need a new quarterback, whether a free agent like Cousins or a rookie in the draft. Cousins also has ties to Georgia through marriage.
So, some have suggested that Atlanta will hire Belichick and pursue Cousins as QB1 if Minnesota severs ties. The pairing really checks out. Belichick would ensure an already decent Falcons defense improves, while Cousins would be in charge of delivering his customary 4,000+ passing yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He could gift-wrap the football to Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts like the Arthur Smith-led Falcons could not.
Meanwhile, that’s all on top of the Falcons living in a weak NFC South division. The South could belong to Atlanta — indefinitely — with Belichick and Cousins running the show.
Interestingly, CBS Sports’ Isabel Gonzalez asked Cousins point-blank last week if he’d play for Belichick, and his answer was surprisingly straightforward. “I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach, but we’ll have to see where March leads, there’s just a lot of unknowns right now,” Cousins replied.
Cousins normally bats away theoretical questions about other teams with replies like, “I’m just focused on the Vikings.” He didn’t with Gonzalez, suggesting some posturing for his Vikings afterlife.
The Vikings, of course, would need a quarterback if Cousins dipped, probably using the 2024 NFL Draft to select a passer. Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), and Bo Nix (Oregon) are expected to go off the board in Round 1.
But pertaining to Cousins and his next stop, the Falcons make all the sense in the world. Belichick isn’t young, and Cousins would provide the win-now experience.
The Vikings take on the Falcons next year at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.