Getty Head coach Kevin O'Connell of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Minnesota Vikings continue to scramble under center, as the team prepares to start its fourth quarterback of the season when Nick Mullens takes the field in Week 15 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Minnesota’s problems at the game’s most important position have highlighted the luxury of having an established signal-caller like Kirk Cousins leading the huddle, which has changed some opinions around the league as to what the Vikings’ approach should be at quarterback come the offseason.
One such opinion belongs to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk who said on Wednesday, December 13, that Minnesota “needs” to re-sign Cousins for the upcoming season.
“The one thing that becomes crystal clear out of all of this — they need Kirk Cousins back in 2024,” Florio said. “And it’s in Kirk Cousins’ best interests to stay [in Minnesota].”
Kirk Cousins Offers Vikings Best Option at QB Next Season
GettyMinnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Florio rationalized that contention in two ways.
The first point is that Cousins was playing the best football of his career before suffering a season-ending Achilles tear against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8. He led the league with 18 touchdown passes he had thrown to that point in the year.
Florio’s second means of justification was simply to note the lack of alternatives at QB the Vikings possess, made clear by the team’s offensive struggles over the past several games.
What’s your alternative? What did we see from Kirk Cousins in his last full game before the Achilles tendon popped? We saw him play his best game ever — ever — in the National Football League. And he needs to understand, yes, it’s a culmination of everything he’s done, but it’s also the fact that he’s gotten into a sweet spot with Kevin O’Connell and they need to build on that next year.
Now look, I think at some point they need to pivot toward getting a long-term, 10-15 year starting quarterback who can be a franchise guy and make them a consistent contender, but there’s still some toothpaste at the bottom of this tube with Kirk Cousins that it would be a mistake for him and for the Vikings to not wanna squeeze the last bit out and see what happens.
Paying Cousins is likely to cost Minnesota a significant amount of money, even at a discount. He played the 2023 season on a one-year, $35 million contract extension.
Signing Kirk Cousins to New Deal Protects Primes of Vikings’ Top Pass-Catchers
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings.
Draft experts have pointed to the Vikings drafting a quarterback next April, though continued success may complicate that initiative.
Minnesota is likely to pick in the 20s if the team makes the playoffs, at which point several of the top prospects including Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy may already be off the board. The Vikings drafted Jaren Hall in the fifth round earlier this year, but he started just one game and played less than one quarter before a concussion grounded his NFL career before it ever had a chance to take off.
Even if the Vikings can land an elite-level rookie in the draft, there is no guarantee they wouldn’t be squandering a year off the primes of wide receiver Justin Jefferson and tight end TJ Hockenson. As such, signing Cousins to a one-year deal probably makes the most sense of any option likely to be on the table for Minnesota in 2024 — even if bringing the 12-year veteran costs more than the Vikings want to pay.