CBS Sports Picks the Best Free Agent Target for Vikings
NFL free agency kicks off in 4.5 weeks, and according to CBS Sports, the Minnesota Vikings’ best option on the open market is to re-sign quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Atlanta Falcons are expected to drop Cousins in the next few weeks, and if so, Minnesota should pounce, says Jared Dubin.
The Cousins angle remains polarizing, but the idea might fit Minnesota’s need for experienced depth while McCarthy’s timeline continues to evolve.
The Vikings would blend the past and future with the move, and it might just make sense if head coach and de facto general manager Kevin O’Connell still thinks Cousins has the juice in 2026.
CBS Sports Puts Cousins Back in Play for MIN
Yep, Cousins is the recommendation.
CBS Sports on Vikings: Reunite with Kirk
Cousins left the Vikings after the 2023 campaign, spending six seasons in Minneapolis and totaling one playoff win along the way.
Dubin claims Minnesota now needs him back: “With the J.J. McCarthy experiment seemingly going off the rails, the Vikings need to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with him and/or be the backup and fill-in starter in case things don’t go well again.”
“Cousins is likely set to hit free agency given his contractual situation, and we know he is familiar with both the Vikings and Kevin O’Connell’s system, making this an easy, comfortable fit.”
Other teams, like the Kansas City Chiefs, were connected to men like Breece Hall. Dubin spitballed Trey Hendrickson for the Indianapolis Colts. For Minnesota, it’s Cousins.
Vikings Offseasons Can Never Shake Cousins
Minnesota’s offseason quarterback plan starts with uncertainty. McCarthy’s transition to the NFL has been uneven, defined more by [bad] availability than development. He’s missed roughly 70% of games due to injury, and in his first season as a starter, he finished last in leaguewide efficiency metrics among quarterbacks. Both factoids have pressed the Vikings’ decision-makers to explore a quarterback competition this offseason.
And that’s where contingency comes into play. If the Vikings recommit to McCarthy in 2026, they’ll need insulation behind him. Cousins checks boxes that few others can. He knows O’Connell’s offense inside and out and has already adjusted to life as a QB2 in Atlanta. He might know his role.
Even when Cousins carried a massive contract in Atlanta, Minnesota kept surfacing as the most logical landing spot in league chatter. With Cousins now more attainable, the logic hasn’t disappeared one bit.
This Time, the Money Would Work
For once, the money wouldn’t be the obstacle for Cousins’s theories. He hasn’t operated in the bargain aisle since his rookie deal — nine years ago — and his reputation for maximizing earnings is Hall of Fame-worthy. At 37, and with Cousins already being paid by Atlanta for 2026, a team can sign him for cheap if he’s released. Think: Russell Wilson to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024.
In 2026 free agency, the Vikings could realistically sign Cousins at a reduced rate and ask him to stabilize the room for a year or two while McCarthy develops. The decision comes down to philosophy. Minnesota has committed to a forward-facing timeline with McCarthy as QB1. The question is whether the O’Connell is willing to look “backward” at Cousins. Perhaps, perhaps not.
Cousins could also be an option for the New York Jets. The Jets Way‘s David Wyatt-Upton wrote this week:
I feel as though the name Kirk Cousins has been swirling around the Jets for a while. We were linked to him before he signed in Atlanta, we were linked with him last off-season and we were linked with him any time his contract was running down in Minnesota. Whether there was any fire to that smoke us unknown, but here we are again. We need a QB, Kirk Cousins is likely to be available, will he finally call NY home?
I will say right from the start that it’s hard to hitch your tent to a QB when you don’t know who the OC will be. You don’t know the style, the system, or the traits that are required to make it all work. But based on the names being mentioned as front-runners for the Jets, I feel relatively confident in stating Cousins would make a lot of sense for the Jets.
Shooting for the Stars?
The argument against Cousins? It feels like a mid-tier solution. Cousins never banked consistent playoff-winning success in Minnesota during his physical prime. Would things get better in the final season or two of his career? If so, how would that happen?
Subtracting Cousins from the offseason rumor mill, the Vikings could hunt big-name quarterbacks who may or may not be for sale — like Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson.
Or the organization could explore realistic trade options for Kyler Murray or Mac Jones. Neither will turn 38 this summer like Cousins. Both are in their 20s.
Cousins to Minnesota would make sense if the Vikings still believe in McCarthy as the long-term QB1. They could sign a reunion contract as a matter of McCarthy insurance.
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