Sep 30, 2022; Thundridge, United Kingdom; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins at press conference during practice at Hanbury Manor. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
For the first time since Rick Spielman acquired him in 2018, Kirk Cousins and the Vikings enter an offseason without a deal for the next season. He is scheduled to be a free agent in March and can decide which team he wants to join for perhaps the final years of his career. The four-time Pro Bowler is 35 and coming off an Achilles injury. That’s enough reason to look elsewhere for a passer if the demands are unreasonable.
Regardless of those issues, there should still be a market for the passer, a player who can produce roughly 30 touchdowns and more than 4,000 yards in his sleep. With half the league looking for a new quarterback, at least one team will be willing to fulfill his requests, whether a certain salary or the contract structure he emphasized is the most important aspect in the negotiations.
The Vikings and Cousins have underlined that they want to continue their journey together but have also stressed that there is a world in which that doesn’t happen. If they can’t find common ground, a divorce is a very realistic scenario this year.
Isabel Gonzalez from CBS Sports interviewed the former fourth-round pick, and one quote from that talk went viral. She asked him about Bill Belichick and if he would like to play under him. His answer sounded a lot like he would strongly consider that option.
Belichick is widely considered one of the (if not the) greatest head coaches in NFL history. After more than two decades of mostly dominating the AFC East, the Patriots and coach Belichick decided to go in different directions after recent struggles. His former player and assistant coach, Jerod Mayo, took his spot.
For that reason, Belichick is available on the coaching market for one team, and of course, he is the big ticket item. There is a decent chance he will transform his new team into an instant contender for the title; that is how significant his impact is.
The Atlanta Falcons are his current top destination, especially after he has already had an interview and is scheduled to have a second talk with owner Arthur Blank.
Atlanta has just finished the season with a 7-10 record for the third straight year and, therefore, pulled the trigger to fire Arthur Smith, who was responsible for all three of those campaigns. He couldn’t find a quarterback other than third-rounder Desmond Ridder and journeyman backup Taylor Heinicke, ultimately ending his tenure.
Because Belichick is 71 years old and is coming off a post-Tom Brady tenure with Mac Jones under center, he is unlikely to be interested in grooming a new quarterback for multiple years and wants immediate results instead.
That’s where Cousins would be the perfect guy. While he won’t carry a team to the Super Bowl like Patrick Mahomes, he will play at a borderline Pro Bowl level and on a decent team that guarantees a trip to the postseason.
The Falcons employ a plethora of exciting offensive weapons who could be much more dominant with capable quarterback play. Top ten picks Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London would certainly be elated to catch passes from the veteran, and it makes all the sense in the world that the Belichick Falcons would pursue Cousins should he leave the Vikings and enter free agency.
We will learn a lot more about Cousins’ future in Minnesota and if the Falcons indeed hire Belichick in the next few weeks.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt