Kirk Cousins Odds Shifted Drastically on Monday
Janik Eckardt
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The Minnesota Vikings are in a crucial offseason for the organization’s future. With Kirk Cousins entering free agency for the first time since 2018, when he arrived in Minnesota, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is positioned to start a new era of Vikings football. With the bust rate of quarterback prospects, that can be either a good or a bad thing.
Kirk Cousins Odds Shifted Drastically on Monday
The veteran could still return for a seventh season, especially because everyone involved, Cousins and Minnesota’s decision-makers (primarily Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell), have always stated that they would love to continue the employment.
Monday evening’s reports have changed the situation. Mike Florio from Pro Football Talk claims a move to Atlanta is imminent: “We can’t get into the specifics, for now. But we’re getting very credible indications that Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta. Which would mean, obviously, that he’d be signing with the Falcons.”
That, merged with various other pieces from the scouting combine that say the same thing, changed the tune of Vikings fans, who are now expecting the quarterback to depart when free agency opens on March 11 with the tampering window.
A line change followed those fears (or hopes) in the betting odds of Cousins’ future team. The Vikings have always been favored to be his team in 2024, but that changed on Monday, according to Draft Kings.
Minnesota’s odds dipped from -200 to +135, while Atlanta’s numbers changed from +190 to -175. The NFC South team is now favored to land the four-time Pro Bowler in free agency.
Atlanta is a team that makes sense for Cousins. A personal reason is his wife, Julie. She is from Atlanta. In addition to that, there are competitive reasons. The Falcons employ a plethora of exciting weapons with tight end Kyle Pitts and wideout Drake London. In the backfield, there are last year’s star rookie Bijan Robinson and 2022 pick, Tyler Allgeier. The biggest problem for Atlanta was the incapability at the QB spot, as neither Taylor Heinicke nor Desmond Ridder could get the ball to those playmakers.
It eventually got Arthur Smith fired. Raheem Morris replaces him as the new head coach in Atlanta. Morris was on the Super Bowl-winning staff in Los Angeles as the defensive coordinator, while Minnesota’s HC O’Connell coordinated the offense. Morris hired an offensive staff, headlined by new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, who has also worked under Sean McVay, so the scheme will be similar to what Cousins learned from O’Connell.
The Falcons also play in a weak division. Carolina mortgaged their future for Bryce Young, and they haven’t been remotely competitive. The Buccaneers and Saints aren’t bad teams, but they appear to be much easier to beat than the Lions and Packers Cousins would face in the NFC North. Winning the division guarantees a home playoff game and is the best way to start a playoff run.
If Cousins moves on from Minnesota, the Vikings will be left with Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall on the roster. The rumor mill is already going crazy, sending Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance to take Cousins’ place. Of course, the best way to find a franchise quarterback is in the draft, and the 11th overall pick could be enough to land one.
There was life before Cousins, and there will be life after Cousins. However, losing a perennial Pro Bowl candidate at the most critical position, a spot the franchise has historically struggled to fill with competent players, could haunt the Vikings.
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
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