Top Free Agent Fits For Vikings QB Kirk Cousins

If there were a Hall of Fame for maximizing leverage as a player, Vikings QB Kirk Cousins would be first ballot. He’s one of the few NFL quarterbacks to secure full guarantees on a contract and he’s set to test free agency once again with significant leverage on his side. 

Cousins is coming off a torn Achilles that cut short a promising 2023 season. But in eight games, he was completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions. When he went down, Minnesota was 4-4 after a bounce back from a 1-3 start and a win over the 49ers. Anecdotally, Cousins seemed more in command and control of things than at any point in his career. 

The Vikings never got a chance to see if Cousins could push past the ceiling that’s always seemed to cap him in the playoffs unfortunately. But there are no real long-term concerns for an Achilles injury for a quarterback like there would be for a running back or pass rusher. It’s a serious injury, especially since he’s turning 36 in August, but his prognosis should be strong for 2024. 

Most importantly for his market, once again more teams need help at quarterback than there are available passers to meet that need. Cousins might not be a top-ten quarterback, but he’s as close as he’s been in his career and remains as solid and productive as ever. As a part of negotiations with the Vikings to restructure his contract last offseason, Cousins secured a no-tag clause in lieu of a new, fully guaranteed extension. That gives him a clear path to unrestricted free agency if he wants to take it. 

It’ll be interesting to see where exactly Cousins lands and if he sticks to his guaranteed money policy. My early hunch is that he will sign anywhere from two to three years on a deal worth between $35-$45 million a season. 

Cousins, 35, is a former fourth-round pick of Washington back in 2012. He played out the final year of his rookie contract before being franchised in back-to-back seasons. 

Cousins later departed in free agency for a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2020 when he agreed to a two-year, $66 million contract extension. In 2021, he agreed to a new one-year, $35 million contract extension that was also fully guaranteed.

He’s in the final year of that deal in 2023 and is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. 

In 2023, Cousins appeared in eight games for the Vikings and completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.

We have him included in our Top 100 – 2024 NFL Free Agents list.

Vikings

Returning to the Vikings is an option that’s very much on the table. However, there are some strings attached. 

Let’s start with the pros. Cousins is a well-documented creature of habit. He loves routines and processes and familiar environments. Netflix’s Quarterback documentary was an excellent peak behind the curtain at this and also helped raise Cousins’ profile around the NFL with more casual fans. He and his family love being in Minnesota, where his two sons have basically grown up. There’s also a real connection between Cousins and HC Kevin O’Connell, and he has an excellent supporting cast around him on offense. 

From the Vikings’ perspective, Cousins gets them most of the way to being a playoff squad as long as they stay relatively healthy. With him and O’Connell at the controls of the offense, they can put up points, and then improvement from the defense will go a long way toward dictating what the ceiling of the team could be. Minnesota could certainly do better than Cousins at quarterback in theory, especially with someone younger, but it’s also easy for them to get much, much worse. Half a season without Cousins last year illustrated that. 

On the flip side, Cousins’ desire for fully guaranteed contracts has put a huge handicap on how the Vikings have been able to navigate the roster the past few seasons. This year, Cousins could absolutely bag a two-year deal worth $90 million, all fully guaranteed, and be worth it because of the market. That kind of investment just becomes riskier and riskier for the Vikings as he gets older. 

That’s why there have been consistent reports that the Vikings want Cousins back — but only on their terms. That seems to mean no full guarantees past the first year of the deal and quite possibly a lower average annual value than the current middle tier of the market. 

The way things are going, one side is going to have to compromise. Otherwise…

Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are the top alternative that seems to be lurking for Cousins. They’ve got plenty of cap space and enough desperation for a starting quarterback upgrade to use it to make a serious play for Cousins in free agency. Atlanta thinks of itself as a team that could have made a lot of noise last season had they gotten better play from the quarterback position. Cousins is a high-floor option who is perfect for what the Falcons are looking for. 

The Falcons’ supporting cast on offense might not be quite as good as Minnesota, but WR Drake London, TE Kyle Pitts and RB Bijan Robinson is a potentially awesome core of skill talent that could be unlocked with a quarterback upgrade. The offensive line is in pretty good shape as well, arguably better than the Vikings’ group. Schematically, new OC Zac Robinson was highly coveted this past hiring cycle as another branch off Rams HC Sean McVay‘s tree — Robinson actually replaced O’Connell when he took the Minnesota head coaching job — and he should run a system with a ton of overlap to what Cousins is used to. 

Cousins also knows new Falcons HC Raheem Morris from his time in Washington, and Falcons assistant GM Kyle Smith was a part of the front office in those years as well. That should make for a ton of familiarity going both ways to help both sides be comfortable with the fit. 

Another important thing to keep in mind is Cousins’ wife is from the Atlanta area and her parents still live nearby. Just like anyone considering a major career change, there are family and location factors to weigh, and Cousins will probably be no different. That could help give the Falcons a little extra edge over other offers and lessen the difference between their offer and what the Vikings put on the table. 

What it probably will come down to, however, is which side wants Cousins more and is willing to show it with guaranteed money. If the question is which side is more willing to fork over a two-year, $90 million deal, the answer at this point feels like the Falcons. 

Raiders? 

There are a lot of quarterback-needy teams this offseason, but only a small handful who would make sense to pursue Cousins. The Bears, Commanders and Patriots are in position at the top of the draft to land high-level prospects who could solve the position for years. Washington and New England could still trade out and use those picks to build around a veteran like Cousins, but it feels more likely they stick and pick at this stage. 

The Broncos have $85 million in cap space dedicated to just former QB Russell Wilson on the books the next two years, so adding another huge chunk for Cousins feels unlikely. The Buccaneers seem zeroed in on re-signing QB Baker Mayfield. The Steelers could make a lot of sense but they say they’re committed to QB Kenny Pickett. 

That leaves the Raiders, who like the Falcons are picking low enough in the draft that they don’t have a clear answer about who will be available to help solve their hole at quarterback. Even if a team in the top three picks were willing to move down, the cost would be astronomical. Las Vegas might have to give up multiple first-round picks to make a move like that. 

A cheaper trade or finding a veteran option would be less risky and more cost-effective. Las Vegas can give Cousins another star receiver in Davante Adams to throw to, as well as a solid running game and some complementary pieces on offense. But the Raiders need to improve the offensive line and there aren’t nearly as many connections on the staff to Cousins as there are in Atlanta. Moving to Las Vegas would also be a significant change. 

The Raiders have a need at quarterback and have to be mentioned as an option. But it really does feel like a two-horse race for Cousins at this point between the Vikings and the Falcons.