Vikings Rumors: The Extra Draft Pick in 2026, Kirk Cousins, Duke Shelley Sighting
The Minnesota Vikings’ summer has arrived, and the club has 85 days until Week 1 when new quarterback J.J. McCarthy gets his first taste of NFL action against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
It’s June 15th, and for Vikings rumors this weekend, we have skinny on the compensatory draft pick process, Kirk Cousins, and an old friend, Duke Shelley.
Until then, we publish Vikings rumors every weekend, and today is the latest batch.
You can read yesterday’s here.
Rumor: The Vikings may get three compensatory draft selections in 2026.
OverTheCap.com’s Nick Korte revealed new information this week, hinting the Vikings may pick up another compensatory pick in 2026 — probably a 7th-Rounder.
He mentioned in an informal tweet, “I was curious as to why all of a sudden players like Tremon Smith and Tre’Davious White and Trent Sherfield were now making the cut for 2026 compensatory pick qualification. It’s because all the June 1 cuts got cleared out. There’s a bug in the program I’ll need to fix later. It’s been an utter mess of a logjam as to which of the ~$3M APY players could qualify as 2026 compensatory free agents.”
“There will be high variance in the number of outcomes that could happen with the comp picks for this next draft.”
This seems to mean the Vikings will receive a 3rd-Rounder — almost for sure — because of Sam Darnold’s departure, a 5th-Rounder, and maybe the 7th-Round pick due to Trent Sherfield’s free agency.
The more the merrier.
Rumor: Kirk Cousins could end up with the Saints via trade.
Cousins, once again, has been linked to the New Orleans Saints via trade. This time, Bleacher Report did the honors.
BR’s Alex Kay opined, “The New Orleans Saints were dealt a devastating blow when Derek Carr informed the team he would be retiring due to a degenerative shoulder injury. With a new regime helmed by head coach Kellen Moore coming in with high hopes of turning this middle-of-the-road squad into a playoff contender, the quarterback position has to be improved in short order. New Orleans is running out of options to fix a QB room that consists of second-round rookie Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.”
“If the club wants to compete in 2025, it must swing a trade for Kirk Cousins — the last remaining proven veteran who is realistically available. Cousins has been mired in a battle with the Atlanta Falcons—the team that benched him late in the 2024 campaign in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. — for his freedom. Despite signing a blockbuster four-year, $180 million contract just over a year ago, Cousins is hoping to escape Atlanta and sign with a team that could utilize his services at this late stage of his NFL career.”
Most onlookers find a Cousins trade to the Saints unlikely because of the NFC South rivalry angle.
Kay continued, “While Cousins wants out, the Falcons have made it clear they won’t outright release him and are willing to pay the nearly $28 million he’s owed for the upcoming season to work as their backup. If the Saints are going to spring Cousins free, they’ll likely need to take on a large portion of his guaranteed money. For an organization with just $29 million in available funds, such a move is far easier said than done. It’s especially tricky given Cousins represents a major upgrade to one of Atlanta’s division rivals.”
“Still, the Saints could find a way to orchestrate a deal and instantly elevate themselves into contention. If they offer the right mix of financial benefits, draft capital and a replacement backup, the Falcons could ship Cousins to New Orleans to finish out his career.”
We’ll believe it when we see it on Cousins to New Orleans. Tyler Shough is a 26-year-old rookie and should probably start now at the advanced rookie age. Signing Cousins would push Shough’s debut to age 27 or 28. Wild.
Rumor: Duke Shelley is in the news and could sign with the Houston Texans.
Once adored by Vikings fans, Duke Shelley popped up this week, and he could become a Houston Texan before too long.
Texans writer Aaron Wilson wrote about Shelley trying out for Houston’s summer roster: “The Texans are working out veteran cornerback Duke Shelley, according to league sources. The audition follows a workout Monday for Houston Roughnecks cornerback Damon Arnette, a former Las Vegas Raiders first-round draft pick. Shelley, 28, is a former Chicago Bears sixth-round draft pick from Kansas State.”
“Shelley (5-foot-9, 176 pounds) has 93 career tackles, one interception and 14 passes defensed in 53 games and 11 starts. Shelley was with the New York Giants last season, playing in one game. He was previously with the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders. The Georgia native intercepted eight passes and recorded 165 tackles in college.”
Texans corner Ronald Darby recently retired, so Shelley could be his replacement.
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