Vikings Urged to Reunite with Familiar Face
Prepare yourself: there’s a plausible path for quarterback Kirk Cousins to return to the Minnesota Vikings. The Atlanta Falcons’ general manager confirmed Tuesday that the franchise will release Cousins after two years of service worth $100 million. That makes Cousins an option for Minnesota, and some believe the reunion relationship is quite realistic.
Minnesota can chase a familiar veteran, yet the decision would alter the entire quarterback plan in Eagan.
In his prime, Cousins couldn’t help the Vikings win more than one playoff game in Minnesota, so the working theory suggests a second chapter would somehow be different.
The Vikings’ Quarterback Room Could Feature Kirk Cousins … Again
For the rumor mill’s sake, he’s baaaaack.
Falcons to Release Cousins
Cousins’s ticket out of Atlanta is all but official. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi wrote Tuesday, “New Atlanta Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham informed Kirk Cousins recently that the team would release him on the first day of the league year, Cunningham said Tuesday morning on 92.9 The Game.”
“Cunningham said in the radio interview that he spoke with Cousins and his agent, Mike McCartney, about the decision, which does not come as a big surprise considering Cousins’ contract restructure several months ago. The first day of the league year is March 11. Cunningham was asked whether there was a window where the Falcons could bring back Cousins at a lower salary point. He said there was not.”
That’s a wrap for Cousins in Atlanta, a mostly failed and expensive experiment.
CBS Sports Predicts the Reunion
Jared Dubin of CBS Sports recommended one player each team should prioritize this offseason, and for Minnesota, that’s Cousins in his estimation.
He wrote, “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.”
The main perk for the Cousins-to-Minnesota is familiarity. He knows the offense and won’t need on-the-job training. There’s also a chance that Cousins would sign his first-ever discounted contract to play for the Vikings, since he socked the Falcons with a bill of $100 million guaranteed over two seasons. Stay tuned.
Cousins Is Older and His Production Has Dipped
O’Connell’s offensive scheme seems to favor quarterbacks who can extend plays and improvise outside of designed structures. McCarthy demonstrated this ability in 2025, showcasing his playmaking when escaping pressure and keeping drives alive. Quarterback mobility is clearly a key attribute in Minnesota’s current evaluations.
In contrast, Cousins has always been primarily a pocket passer, and at 38, that remains his quasi-strength. While his arm talent is undeniable, his mobility outside the pocket is limited. Terrible, even. Moreover, his 2025 performance was statistically underwhelming; among 35 quarterbacks with comparable passing attempts, Cousins ranked 30th in EPA+CPOE.
For the Vikings to consider re-signing him, they would need to be convinced that he can significantly outperform his recent play and elevate the team. Ultimately, bringing Cousins back would be a gamble against his already established trajectory. He was a bottom-bowl quarterback in 2025 — even with the best running back in football, Bijan Robinson, in his backfield.
Past Would Meet Present in the Summer
A training camp battle between Cousins and McCarthy would be a spectacle, drawing considerable attention as Minnesota pitted its established veteran against its highly-touted rookie. Most would hope for McCarthy to win the starting job.
While unusual, given that the team has seemingly moved on from Cousins and handed the reins to McCarthy, a genuine quarterback competition would be one of the most compelling storylines surrounding the Vikings in recent years. Past versus present. Nostalgia versus future.
Our Janik Eckardt on Cousins: “Though he certainly didn’t have a great season and is nowhere near the level he was during his prime, Cousins is the type of signal-caller the Vikings are looking for next to J.J. McCarthy. The majority of reports about Minnesota’s QB room circle around the words competition and veteran.”
“Adding Cousins would give the Vikings a baseline of quarterback play they didn’t have last year, which is why the season failed to the extent it did. Continued struggles in performance or availability from McCarthy and the Vikings could lead them to turn to a familiar face. Of course, that idea would require Cousins to accept the competition, but also a deal the Vikings can afford. Neither item appears on Cousins’ NFL résumé since becoming a starter.”
The cool part? Cousins wouldn’t be handed the QB1 job, as someone like Aaron Rodgers or Derek Carr, two other quarterback options for the 2026 Vikings, might expect.
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