Quarterback questions surround the Minnesota Vikings yet again as the 2026 league year approaches. J.J. McCarthy struggled in his first year as the team’s starter, throwing only 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in ten starts. Later, the Vikings lost Carson Wentz for the season after stepping in for McCarthy from Weeks 3 through 8.
McCarthy suffered a concussion in Week 12 at Lambeau Field, forcing rookie free agent acquisition Max Brosmer into the starting lineup. He responded with a four-interception performance against the Seattle Seahawks, where the Vikings were embarrassed 26-0.
Minnesota finished the season 9-8, but their five-game winning streak to end the year was too little, too late. There were numerous issues across the team, but the inconsistency at quarterback led to their 4-8 start.
The Vikings have already been publicly linked to a wide range of options this offseason — from developmental free agents like Malik Willis to veteran wild cards like Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers.
However, perhaps no potential acquisition makes more sense for the Vikings in 2026 than Kirk Cousins. The quarterback spent the past two years in Atlanta after playing six seasons for Minnesota from 2018 to 2023. Most importantly, he already knows Kevin O’Connell’s system and was well-respected in the locker room.
Cousins is still under contract with the Atlanta Falcons. However, Adam Schefter reported ahead of the Super Bowl that Atlanta is expected to cut Cousins before the new league year on March 12.
The downside is that Cousins will turn 38 in August, and he was the last polarizing quarterback to don a Vikings uniform before McCarthy. Despite completing 67.1% of his passes for 171 touchdowns and 55 interceptions, Minnesota won one playoff game in his tenure.
Cousins’ tenure in Minnesota was often defined by postseason shortcomings, even if they weren’t entirely his fault. In 2019, the San Francisco 49ers overmatched the Vikings, 27-10, in the Divisional Round. Three years later, their 31-24 Wild Card loss to the 9-8 New York Giants came after allowing 431 yards on defense.
Still, the lasting image remains Cousins’ three-yard checkdown on fourth-and-eight with the season on the line.
Giants deny the Vikings!
📺: #NYGvsMIN on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/uuhRH8WYIn pic.twitter.com/CIPFPUD3Ao
— NFL (@NFL) January 16, 2023
So what makes this time different? Why would the Vikings want to bring back the quarterback whom McCarthy was supposed to be replacing when they drafted him 10th overall in the 2024 draft?
If the idea is that he can get them over the hump, one only needs to point to the Vikings missing the playoffs altogether in Cousins’ first year in Minnesota. They signed him to be the “missing piece” to a team that went 13-3 and got to the NFC Championship Game.
The difference this time would be that signing Kirk Cousins wouldn’t be for top-of-the-market money. In 2018, he signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal. That was an unprecedented deal, and with that came lofty expectations that anything short of a Super Bowl run wouldn’t be enough.
Now, Cousins is entering the twilight of his career. He signed a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons in 2024, but he played only 24 games and made 22 starts over his two seasons in Atlanta. Combined with his age, he won’t be coming anywhere close to that kind of deal.
Because Cousins isn’t a free agent yet, sites like PFF and Spotrac don’t have a projected contract listed for him. But Aaron Rodgers, who is 42, is PFF’s 28th-ranked free agent. His projected contract is a one-year, $15 million deal. Russell Wilson, 37, is PFF’s 66th-ranked free agent. His projected deal is a one-year, $6.5 million contract.
Let’s assume that Cousins commands a contract similar to Rodgers’. That would likely make Cousins the 10th highest-paid player on Minnesota’s 2026 payroll. The short-term commitment wouldn’t tie him to the team, providing flexibility to either let McCarthy develop another year or bring in another young option.
It also saves the Vikings draft capital that they could use in a trade if they don’t find the other free agent options attractive. Trade possibilities have also surfaced, including speculation that the 49ers could move Mac Jones — though acquiring him could cost a Day 2 pick. He also has a void year in his contract for the 2027 season, likely meaning they’d need to extend him to facilitate a trade.
A trade for an elite quarterback like Justin Herbert would require multiple first-round picks. He’s worth the money, but are the Vikings confident enough that their roster is deep enough to win now while sacrificing the future?
The draft is thin at quarterback. After Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza, who experts project will go first overall, the talent drops off. Even if Minnesota believed in Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson, they would likely need to trade up from pick 18 to take him.
Ironically, that could lead the Vikings back to Cousins. Only Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rodgers have made higher career earnings than Cousins. Those three, of course, all have Super Bowl rings.
But a Kirk Cousins reunion could be the most cost-effective move for Minnesota. He brings familiarity to the quarterback room. Even if he isn’t flashy, the Vikings know what they will get from Cousins when he’s on the field.
The expectations wouldn’t be for him to live up to a fully guaranteed contract that is among the league’s most lucrative, either. He would be a calming presence who brings professionalism, helping Minnesota’s offense operate efficiently.
Minnesota believed it could move on from Cousins and land his successor. After not resigning Sam Darnold, the Vikings soon learned that McCarthy may not have been as ready as they first believed after drafting him.
As a result, Cousins could replace the guy who originally replaced him in Minnesota. Before, it was in part because of his Achilles injury, and also because of the expense of his upcoming deal.
The Vikings moved on from Kirk Cousins, believing they were ready for what came next. 2025 suggested they might not have been. This time, bringing him back wouldn’t be about chasing a missing piece. It would be about stabilizing a position that derailed their season — at a price that finally matches the role.