Kirk Cousins
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 08: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Minnesota Vikings looks on prior to a game against the Kansas City Chiefs at U.S. Bank Stadium on October 08, 2023 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
Kirk Cousins was a viable candidate to land with the Minnesota Vikings entering free agency, though “was” is now the key word in that sentence.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Minnesota is the favorite to land Kyler Murray following his release from the Arizona Cardinals on Wednesday, March 11, adding that the Vikings plan to aggressively pursue the acquisition of the two-time Pro Bowl quarterback.
“The #Vikings plan to make a push for Kyler Murray and are the favorite to land the former No. 1 pick, sources tell me and @TomPelissero,” Rapoport posted to X. “Finally released now by Arizona, Murray will take his time and wants to hear directly from other teams. But Minnesota is the team to beat.”
Following that report, Darren Wolfson of KSTP cited ESPN’s Adam Schefter in a social media post essentially slamming the door on a Cousins-Vikings reunion in 2026.
“Good stuff! Like Schefter said, it’s moved to shock status if [Murray to Minnesota] doesn’t happen,” Wolfson wrote on X. “Cousins, as of this afternoon = zero sense that he’ll land back here.”
Kirk Cousins Made Sense for Vikings Under Former QB Plans
Kirk Cousins
GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
The Atlanta Falcons released Cousins, who will play next season at age 38, on Wednesday. He is now officially a free agent.
Cousins’ return to Minnesota made some sense before it became clear that Murray was on his way out of Arizona, and that it was going to happen via his release and not a trade.
Dealing for Murray would have been complicated and expensive for the Vikings, which made it far less likely of an outcome. However, when Murray hit free agency via his release on Wednesday, he locked in $36 million in guaranteed money from his former team.
That will allow Murray to sign a veterans league minimum of $1.3 million this offseason, which renders him a more than viable starting QB candidate for any team in need of one.
When the Vikings were all but priced out of a Murray trade, the stated plan in Minnesota was to find a veteran option — like Cousins or Geno Smith — to come in and compete with JJ McCarthy for the starting job. If McCarthy won it in training camp, that veteran would be QB2 and serve as an insurance policy against possible injuries or struggles for McCarthy is his third NFL season.
Kyler Murray Acquisition Would All but Slam Door on Futures of JJ McCarthy, Kirk Cousins as Vikings’ QB1
Kyler Murray
GettyQuarterback Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals.
Now, however, Murray is wildly affordable and entirely available. He also offers a potential longterm solution for the Vikings under center after letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency last season — a decision that was, in retrospect, a considerable blunder after Darnold’s Super Bowl win in February.
Minnesota owns the No. 18 pick in the first round of next month’s draft, which isn’t high enough to land a potential franchise QB in a weak class at the position.
The Vikings also want to be competitive next season, hence the pursuit of Murray. And if the team is successful in that endeavor, it will likely also play itself out of a draft position high enough to land a Day 1 starter in 2027.
Thus, if Murray ends up in Minnesota, as top NFL insiders across most major outlets now expect/predict, it will all but ensure that Cousins won’t return to the Vikings before the end of his career. It will also all but guarantee that the McCarthy era will end after just 10 starts.