2 NFC Rivals Predicted to Push Vikings in Competition for Kirk Cousins

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins‘ season may be over, but according to several insiders, his stock around the league has not taken a hit.

ESPN insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler took the temperature of the NFL’s interest in Cousins and predicted the veteran quarterback to land with a new team in 2024.

Two teams emerged in their conversations with team sources: The Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers.

“I’ve started asking teams about this, and Atlanta comes up fairly often. The Falcons have improved their roster and need a quarterback to bring it all together. … Cousins would find comfort in Atlanta’s talented roster of playmakers, similar to what he had in Minnesota. The chance to win is there,” Fowler said.

“And though Cousins will be expensive, he is going on his fifth NFL contract (excluding franchise tags from the Washington days) and will turn 36 in August. A team set to have $36 million in cap space in 2024 should be able to handle his potential deal.”

Graziano called the Packers a “sleeper,” considering Green Bay does not appear sold on Jordan Love and Cousins has experience with head coach Matt LaFleur.

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 Why Vikings Will Have a Hard Time Keeping Kirk Cousins

After breaking off from negotiations without an extension for Cousins this summer, the Vikings will have to compete with offers elsewhere. Cousins said he did not want to revisit negotiations until March, signaling he will test the market.

Minnesota will have a hard time competing with other teams. The Vikings already have $10.25 million sunk in dead cap to pay Cousins next season whether he remains a Viking or not. That money was already owed to him but deferred after restructuring his contract to create cap space for the 2023 season.

If he garners offers north of $30 million a year, the Vikings will be pressed to match that and pay over $40 million at quarterback next season while having to pay Justin Jefferson atop their priorities in the offseason.

The Vikings and Cousins were also divided on the length of his next contract during negotiations last offseason. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has maintained that he wants flexibility at the quarterback position and a fully guaranteed, multiyear deal goes against that philosophy.

Adofo-Mensah said Cousins played great this season and reached their expectations. He drew a line, saying that every option that Cousins had during negotiations in the offseason is still on the table after his injury.

The decision ultimately comes down to whether Cousins is willing to take the Vikings’ offer, which they don’t appear to be budging on, especially with Josh Dobbs emerging as a potential bridge quarterback option.

“Kirk played great,” Adofo-Mensah said in a news conference following the trade deadline move for Dobbs, per the Star Tribune. “I think my want for Kirk to come back isn’t just a me thing. It’s a negotiation. You come together at the table, and you try and see if everything works together, and we’ll have that dialogue when the time comes.”

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 Josh Dobbs Gives Vikings More Options for Future QB

Dobbs may not be the long-term answer, but he does provide a serviceable option other than Cousins — and at a much cheaper price.

A league executive told Fowler he felt Dobbs has elevated himself to high-level No. 2 quarterback status, “A guy who can start games for you if you need. And that pays pretty good money.”

“Consider Jacoby Brissett, who earned a one-year, $10 million contract with $8 million guaranteed from the Commanders after performing well as a bridge starter for Cleveland. That could be Dobbs’ lane,” Fowler wrote.

That’s a pretty penny, but it pales in comparison to Cousins’ average $31 million average yearly earnings since he joined the Vikings.

Minnesota could pay Dobbs and still draft a quarterback late in the first round to develop, giving the Vikings an answer at quarterback for at least the next five years.

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