Dark Horse Team Emerges for Kirk Cousins
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford will probably be just fine, and he will probably be in the saddle for Week 1.
With one veteran QB’s injury making headlines, a dark horse team may be entering the Kirk Cousins discussion. Could a surprise team be on the table for Cousins?
But what if he’s not — and the 37-year-old’s back injury spirals into a longer-term issue? That might pave the way for the finest Kirk Cousins offseason theory yet.
This is that.
Kirk Cousins to LAR if Matthew Stafford’s Back Isn’t Right?
Cousins is no stranger to Sean McVay’s operation.
Matthew Stafford’s Lingering Injury Raises Eyebrows
Some alarm bells have sounded, albeit quietly, on Stafford’s injury — mainly because it’s a back injury for a 37-year-old.
TurfShowTimes‘ JB Scott wrote last week, “It doesn’t seem as if we will see Stafford on the field soon, though ultimately only the team knows where the quarterback stands. Stafford will do his own individual workout on Monday while the rest of the roster has a ‘jog thru’ in advance of the joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys. This is me being honest. It’s not intended to incite panic or stir the pot.”
“It sounds like Stafford has a ways to go before he returns to football activities. There is a finite amount of time until the regular season. He’s already slated to miss the entirety of training camp at LMU and is going on Week 3 of absences. With each passing day the panic meter seems to be ticking upwards.”
So, yes, that’s Rams-themed media openly worried about Stafford’s prognosis.
Kirk Cousins as the Failsafe Plan?
Insert Kirk Cousins.
Cousins has been disillusioned with his current QB2 job in Atlanta, benched last season for rookie passer Michael Penix Jr. He revealed in a Netflix documentary last month that he felt “misled” by the Falcons during 2024 free agency.
“At the time, it felt like I had been a little bit misled. Certainly, if I had that information around free agency, it would’ve affected my decision. I had no reason to leave Minnesota, with how much we loved it there, if both teams were going to be drafting a quarterback high,” Cousins mentioned.
Fast forward to the 2025 offseason, and many NFL heads believed Cousins would be released, allowing Penix Jr. to take over the franchise sans the Cousins distraction. Atlanta never took the bait. Cousins remains on the Falcons’ roster, arguably a Top 3 backup quarterback in the business. He may even be the best backup quarterback, someone who actually deserves to be a starter.
A bidding war could ensue for his services via trade — if a high-profile injury like the one besetting Stafford arose.
Cousins + Sean McVay
The Rams’ head coach, Sean McVay, offensively coordinated the Washington Commanders from 2014 to 2016, and guess who held the QB1 job for most of that period? Yep, Cousins.
McVay, like his pal and rival San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, has never failed to heap praise on Cousins given the opportunity, and you better believe McVay would find Cousins’ trade market intriguing if Stafford’s back problem morphed into a season-ending ordeal.
That whole Shanahan coaching tree fundamentally adores Cousins, or at least they did when Cousins was a younger man.
A “Just in Case” Theory
Stafford could be just fine. Let’s get that out in the open. This could be much ado about nothing.
Still, Stafford’s injury resume is beyond lengthy, and if the worst transpired, the Rams would need a competent quarterback to keep their playoff aspirations afloat. In that vein, the ex-Vikings QB1 would be absolutely perfect for the assignment. The Rams truly make sense.
Cousins would get a chance to rekindle his 2022 and 2023 ways with McVay.
More on Stafford
McVay said over the weekend about Stafford’s chances of playing in the preseason, “The Cowboys, no. The Cowboys, I would say that’s less than likely,” McVay said. “With the Chargers, and I know I’m probably irritating you guys, but it truly is a week-to-week thing, and what I don’t want to do is set a timeline.”
“I know he’s making good progress, saw Dr. Watkins again today. Everything is in good shape. But to answer your question, the Cowboys is a no and then we’ll see about the Chargers.”
LATimes.com‘s Gary Klein noted on the matter, “McVay does not play starters in preseason games, so joint practices are regarded by the ninth-year coach as instrumental for evaluating young players and progress by the offense, defense and special teams. Stafford, entering his 17th season, worked with new receiver Davante Adams during offseason workouts.”
“But he has yet to work on timing with the three-time All-Pro during a full-speed, padded practice. But Stafford’s continued absence from on-field drills continues to be the dominant storyline for a team that will be regarded as a legitimate Super Bowl contender if he is physically sound. And a question mark — at least on offense — if he is not.”
Only because Stafford is 37 — barrelling toward 38 in February — and back injuries aren’t minor, Cousins as a contingency plan is a tidbit to remember.
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