Kirk Cousins Reunion with Vikings Hits Sudden Snag
Stop if you’ve heard this one before: Kirk Cousins wants to get paid. Pioneer Press‘s Charley Walters reported the tidbit this week, claiming Cousins will be in the market for a contract worth $20 million and some level of guarantee that he will start in 2026.
The Vikings’ connection to Cousins stays on the radar, but his alleged demands don’t really move the needle.
Naturally, those stipulations may reduce his chances of joining the Vikings, as folks had previously believed that Cousins would be “free” because the Atlanta Falcons are still paying him. And that’s assuming Cousins gets released by Atlanta.
Contract Demands Might Put the Cousins Reunion on Ice
There’s always a yeah-but with Cousins.
Walter on Cousins
Walters wrote over the weekend, “The level of veteran QB that O’Connell brings in to compete with McCarthy for next season’s starting job will indicate the level of confidence the Vikings have in McCarthy going forward. Kirk Cousins, Kyler Murray and Mac Jones remain the Vikings’ best bets. Trading for San Francisco’s Jones would probably cost the Vikings a second-round draft pick, a pick the Vikings cannot afford to lose.”
“If Cousins, 37, isn’t offered an acceptable deal — expected to be in the one-year, $20 million range with incentives and a guarantee to be the starter — chances seem good that he’ll move to national TV analysis. He’s already pretty good at it and already has made more than $300 million during 14 seasons as a player.”
Walters also name-dropped two other quarterback options: “There also is a chance the Vikings could end up with Jimmy Garoppolo or Geno Smith at quarterback. That would indicate the Vikings plan to ride into another season with McCarthy.”
It’s worth noting that Walters usually reports based on intel from sources; Cousins’ wanting $20 million probably isn’t just his personal opinion.
The Russell Wilson Scenario Not in Play?
In 2024, as Russell Wilson examined the NFL landscape after his departure from the Denver Broncos, it was commonly known that his next team could sign him for cheap because the Broncos had paid him. What happened? He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers for $1.2 million. Cheap indeed.
A similar path seemed to await Cousins in 2026. Then Walters came along and dropped the $20 million tidbit.
For the first time in his career, Cousins has a chance to shred the narrative that he’s a moneymaker first — because of his fat contract in Atlanta. If Walters has it right, Cousins will do no such thing.
The Athletic‘s Josh Kendall noted this week on Cousins’s status, “If Kirk Cousins’ contract was more forgiving, it would make a lot of sense to bring back the veteran quarterback. There is no guarantee that Michael Penix Jr., who is rehabbing an ACL tear suffered in Week 11 last year, will be ready for the season opener.”
“Cousins led the Falcons to four straight wins to end the season and had his best statistical season under new Atlanta head coach Kevin Stefanski in 2019, when Stefanski was the offensive coordinator in Minnesota.”
Because the Falcons still need a Cousins-like quarterback, perhaps they’ll re-sign him after getting his large contract off the books.
Kendall added, “However, his four-year deal always was set to swell in his final two seasons (which start this year) and a recent restructure means the Falcons would owe him a $67.9 million bonus if he’s on the roster March 13.”
“It’s impossible to imagine owner Arthur Blank being willing to foot that bill, although it remains possible Cousins could be released and still re-sign in Atlanta if there was little interest elsewhere.”
Cousins Is Guaranteed Nothing as a QB1
Meanwhile, the idea that Cousins expects a QB1 job or he’ll retire is … pretentious. In 2025, 35 quarterbacks met the required volume threshold for EPA per play, and Cousins ranked 30th among them. The bottom-tier efficiency is concerning in a league that increasingly relies on quarterback performance.
Should the Vikings consider re-signing Cousins, they would be betting on a significant rebound from a quarterback who, statistically, performed near the bottom of the league. Asking Cousins, after this level of performance, to lead a roster with Super Bowl aspirations would be a considerable gamble.
It’s a bit odd for a soon-to-be 38-year-old with no scrambling mobility who ranked 30th of 35 quarterbacks last year to call the shots as a starter. If signed by the Vikings, Cousins should expect to compete against J.J. McCarthy this summer, not steal his job outright.
Put bluntly, Cousins isn’t that good anymore.
On to the Next?
Suppose Walters’s reporting is accurate: Cousins wants another $20 million and a guaranteed starting job. Minnesota may not be the right place for him. He could explore the New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, for example, to see if those organizations would bend to his stipulations.
That would thrust the Vikings in a different direction, possibly examining a trade for Mac Jones or Kyler Murray. Free agency will offer options such as Malik Willis, Marcus Mariota, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Some have even kicked the tires on Derek Carr’s would-be unretirement as of late.
A Cousins reunion feels wildly unlikely if he plans to dictate meaty conditions.
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