The Minnesota Vikings have a problem that few teams in the NFL have. Kirk Cousins is a stabilizing force under center and has thrown for 4,000 yards in four seasons and 30 or more touchdowns in three seasons since coming to Minnesota in 2018.
The Vikings have won less than eight games once during that time, and Cousins appears to be ready to return coming off a 13-win season in 2022, but Cousins’ future beyond 2023 is a little less clear.
Entering the final year of his contract, Cousins and the Vikings would like to work out a contract extension. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told reporters at the NFL scouting combine that while Cousins’s camp would like certainty in his next contract, the Vikings would like flexibility.
The two sides could find a common ground, but Adofo-Mensah’s comments also didn’t sound like a general manager dying to have Cousins for the next five seasons.
“I do know one thing…[Cousins] is good enough,” Adofo-Mensah said. “He meets that first threshold and that’s a question that a lot of [teams] can’t answer with a yes, so we need to treat that in the proper importance that it is.”
If the Vikings aren’t willing to commit to the type of fully guaranteed deal that Cousins has signed in the past, it could lead to an impasse in negotiations. If Cousins’ camp isn’t keen on playing out his contract, it could open the door to a trade.
Such a scenario is highly unlikely – especially with the no-trade clause in Cousins’ contract – but in this article, we’ll look at five teams who could be interested in Cousins and how desperate they could be to get him.
1. San Francisco 49ers
(Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) Kyle Shanahan
Kirk Cousins and Kyle Shanahan have produced one of the best love stories since Jim Halpert got together with Pam Beasley in “The Office”.
When the 49ers decided to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018, general manager John Lynch (via SI’s Albert Breer) described Shanahan as “in mourning” because he believed his “master plan was to have [Cousins] come in eventually.” Shortly before Cousins signed a two-year contract extension with the Vikings in 2020, ESPN’s Diana Russini said she has “never seen somebody want a quarterback as bad as” Shanahan wanted Cousins.
These stories have spawned an annual rumor that Cousins could one day land in San Francisco, and that door cracked open again when Lynch suggested the 49ers could dive into the veteran quarterback market this offseason.
Trey Lance was selected with the third overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, but an uneven performance on the field and a broken ankle have stunted his growth. Brock Purdy led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game last season but tore his UCL in the first quarter of that game and has an unknown timetable for his recovery.
Both quarterbacks have long-term potential, but Cousins would be a plug-and-play option on a team that has the NFL’s No. 1 defense and an offense loaded with weapons such as Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and George Kittle.
Ultimately, the 49ers may not have the draft capital to make a deal work. San Francisco doesn’t have a first or second-round pick in this year’s draft, and unless the Vikings are planning on tanking, it wouldn’t make sense to trade Cousins for future assets.
2. Indianapolis Colts
Throughout the 1990s, Minnesota is where aging quarterbacks went to die. What started with Jim McMahon, eventually led to Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, and Jeff George as the Vikings went through a carousel of aging quarterbacks. Even in 2009, the Vikings leaned on the veteran quarterback as Brett Favre led them to the 2009 NFC Championship Game.
The torch has been passed to the Indianapolis Colts, who have been in limbo since Andrew Luck abruptly retired in 2019. Since then, the Colts have trotted out Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan, but none of those options have started for more than one season.
With the fourth overall pick, the Colts could decide to select their quarterback of the future or even trade up with the Chicago Bears, but they could also decide to take a swing at another veteran option in Cousins.
Cousins wouldn’t be a long-term option for the Colts, but he could be a house of cards for a potential quarterback of the future. He also could succeed with Jonathan Taylor in the backfield and an offensive line that was one of the best in the league just two years ago but was decimated by injuries last season.
It’s unlikely the Colts would want to give up the fourth overall pick in a deal, but if a deal included multiple second-rounders or future picks, they could trade for Cousins, take the quarterback they want and prepare him to take over in 2024 (or later).
A potential hurdle is Cousins’s no-trade clause, but if the writing is on the wall, he could see playing for the Colts as a showcase to hit the market next year and cash in on one last payday.
3. New York Jets
There are a lot of people that believe that Aaron Rodgers will be starting for the Jets next season, and there are even more that believe that Derek Carr is a fine backup plan. But if those plans fall through, the Jets could be looking for another veteran quarterback, and that could mean taking a look at Kirk Cousins.
Like the 49ers, the Jets could be considered a team that’s a quarterback away from being a contender. They have elite weapons in Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall and a defense that features 2022 Defensive Rookie of the Year Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner.
Jets head coach Robert Saleh could be familiar with Shanahan’s love for Cousins after serving as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator from 2017 to 20, and it’s possible he could use Cousins to jump-start an offense that ranked 25th in total offense and 29th in points scored last season.
A deal would still have to make sense for the Vikings, but with the 13th overall pick, the Jets could acquire Cousins for less than they would have had to give up to get Rodgers and pay less in an extension than they would have had to give to Carr. With the Jets desperate for a quarterback, it’s not crazy to think they would give up more than they should to get Cousins.
4. Carolina Panthers
Remember when we talked about the Colts’ veteran quarterback carousel? The mastermind behind that process is now in Carolina as Frank Reich was hired as head coach of the Panthers last month.
The quarterback position is one of Reich’s first orders of business in Carolina as the Panthers have trotted out Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, and P.J. Walker over the past two seasons. While the Panthers could hope that one of the top quarterback prospects slide to them with the ninth overall pick in the NFL Draft, they could get desperate if Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis are all off the board.
That could lead to a phone call to the Vikings, who could offer Cousins as an answer to their problems. With his consistent track record, Cousins could at least provide steady play at the position and buy time for the Panthers to find their quarterback of the future in 2024 or ride Cousins until he goes off the age cliff.
With the NFC South wide open, Cousins could be the quarterback Carolina needs to compete. It’s just a matter of how much the Panthers would be willing to give up to make that happen.
5. Tennessee Titans
One of the most efficient seasons of Cousins’ career happened in 2019 when the Vikings ran the ball 479 times on the way to the playoffs. It may be tough to find a team that runs with that frequency these days, but the Titans seem willing to throw it back and bring Cousins to his past glory.
The Titans are in a similar problem to the Vikings, where they have a quarterback that’s good enough to win, but not good enough to win a title. Like Cousins, Ryan Tannehill took the Titans to a 13-win season in 2021, but the team came crashing back to reality by finishing 7-11 and losing their final seven games last year.
With Tannehill rumored to be on the cutting block and Malik Willis appearing to be a bust, quarterback has to be a top priority for the Titans, but it’s unlikely to be addressed in a draft where they hold the 11th overall pick.
The presence of Derrick Henry and an elite offensive line could do wonders for Cousins as he loses his arm strength. Like many of the other teams on this list, it could also buy time for the Titans to groom a replacement.
The dynamic between Cousins and an old-school coach like Mike Vrabel could be interesting, but if Tennessee wants an immediate solution, they could do worse than Cousins.