Could Vikings eventually give Kirk Cousins an escape from Falcons?

The Minnesota Vikings clearly need 2024 first-round draft decide J.J. McCarthy to be their 2025 Week 1 beginning quarterback after he spent his total rookie season recovering from a full meniscus restore. 

In the meantime, Kirk Cousins remains to be searching for an escape from the Atlanta Falcons after he misplaced his beginning job to 2024 rookie Michael Penix Jr. this previous December. 

On Monday, The Athletic’s Josh Kendall wrote briefly about the potential for Cousins reuniting with a Vikings workforce that employed the veteran signal-caller from 2018 by way of the 2023 season.

“Minnesota didn’t draft a quarterback,” Kendall wrote of the Vikings’ actions in the course of the 2025 player-selection course of. “As a substitute, it traded for Seahawks backup Sam Howell, who began 18 video games in two seasons in Washington. That provides the Vikings no less than an possibility if J.J. McCarthy isn’t able to be the starter for well being or efficiency points. Additionally they have Brett Rypien beneath contract.”

The contract Cousins signed to affix the Falcons final offseason included a full no-trade clause, and former reviews indicated that he would solely relocate his household this spring or summer season if a distinct membership promised him its beginning job. Now that this 12 months’s draft has come and gone, Cousins could wrestle to seek out such a possibility if the Vikings do not come calling. 

The Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly “firmly imagine” future Corridor of Famer Aaron Rodgers will quickly signal a contract to be their subsequent starter. In the meantime, the Cleveland Browns now have Joe Flacco, 2022 first-round draft decide Kenny Pickett, 2025 third-round alternative Dillon Gabriel and 2025 fifth-round choice Shedeur Sanders of their quarterback room. 

New Orleans Saints starter Derek Carr not too long ago acknowledged he’s coping with a shoulder damage. The Saints seemingly responded to that setback by choosing Louisville’s Tyler Shough, arguably “essentially the most pro-ready” quarterback on this 12 months’s draft class, with the fortieth total decide. Moreover, it is troublesome to think about Atlanta would fortunately hand a beginning quarterback to a division rival at an inexpensive value after the Falcons have up to now proven with their actions that they’re keen to maintain Cousins as Penix’s backup by way of this coming fall. 

The Vikings may silence discuss a possible commerce for Cousins by naming McCarthy their starter at any time. Till they do, outsiders will proceed to marvel if some veteran gamers who’re a part of a win-now workforce that went 14-3 this previous season imagine a wholesome Cousins could be a higher possibility than no matter McCarthy is/is not forward of coaching camp.