We are firmly in one of the slowest periods on the NFL calendar (but don’t tell the NFL that). The draft is still basically a month away. Free agency is all but picked over, and while teams might continue to bargain shop or release players, the vast majority of difference-makers are signed. There was, however, one interesting nugget of a rumor that made its way onto the rumor mill this week regarding one free agent who is still available, and he was tied to the Green Bay Packers. That would be free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The Packers came into the offseason with, in my opinion, four major holes on their roster they needed to address: defensive line, cornerback, offensive line, and backup quarterback. Maybe not exactly in that order, but pretty darn close. They have already addressed the first three with the signings of Javon Hargrave, Benjamin St-Juste, and the re-signing of center Sean Rhyan. Hargrave should be able to get back to his havoc-wrecking ways in the middle of the line under Jonathan Gannon. St-Juste should, at the very least, push Carrington Valentine and provide good depth snaps off the bench, all while playing a mean special teams role. Lastly, Sean Rhyan played well last season once thrust into the starting center role after Elgton Jenkins went down with an injury. With a full offseason developing chemistry with Jordan Love and further acclimating himself to the position, he should be much better in 2026. Unfortunately, they have not done enough (or anything) at backup quarterback.
The current depth chart behind Love consists of Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord. I wrote an article for this website a few weeks back looking at a few options the Packers might consider adding at the spot, but none of those players have yet to be connected to Green Bay in any way. Not at any point did I think Kirk Cousins would be in play. First, I didn’t think that Cousins would be interested in a backup role behind an established starter. Second, I didn’t think Brian Gutekunst would be open to devoting serious dollars to a position that is already very top-heavy, with Love’s contract firmly on the books. This week proves otherwise. At the owners meeting in Arizona, Gutekunst was asked about the possibility of adding Cousins.
“Yeah, we’ve discussed a lot of those options. That’s a guy who’s got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league. So we’ve certainly discussed all those kinds of things, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Classic Gutey—hinting he might be interested without fully committing. However, it is more than I would have thought he would say. The fact of the matter is, the Packers really should be interested in adding an experienced quarterback to back up Love. Of all the options out there, whether it be via free agency, trade, or the draft, they don’t come much more experienced than Kirk Cousins. He is a veteran of 167 career games, throwing for over 44,000 yards, 298 touchdowns, and 131 interceptions. He also has experience as a backup, which is important to note. He, of course, started his career as the backup to Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III in Washington. He would later go on to become their starter once RGIII suffered his career-altering injury. During that run in Washington, his QB coach was none other than Matt LaFleur.
Just last season, he was the backup to Michael Penix Jr., and due to injuries, Cousins guided the Falcons to a 5–3 record in eight starts. In that eight-game stint, he showed he still has the ability to play at a high level. He threw for 1,721 yards and 10 touchdowns with a 68.2% completion percentage and a 103.8 passer rating. His best performance came during a Week 15 primetime game in Tampa Bay, where he led the Falcons to an upset win over the playoff-minded Buccaneers with a 373-yard, three-touchdown performance. To have a backup with the ability to come into a game and play at that level would be completely game-changing. Love has not been the picture of health in his young career as the Packers’ starter, missing time in each of the last two seasons. It was just last season when he missed an important late-season game against the Ravens, forcing Malik Willis into action. While he played very well that night, it was not a 373-yard, three-touchdown performance.
For as much as he showed he still has life in his arm, the most glaring issue with his play style is more evident than ever at this stage of his career. That would be his lack of mobility. The 37-year-old was never the most fleet of foot, but has declined even more in that area since the torn Achilles he suffered two years ago with the Vikings (at Lambeau, nonetheless). If the Packers’ offensive line proves to be shaky again this season, as it was a year ago, Cousins might struggle to play at the level he’s accustomed to. This Packers offense might also struggle to adjust to his style. Love is not the most mobile QB in the world, but he is more than able to elude rushers and make plays outside of the pocket. Their game plans when Willis was the signal-caller were completely centered around his playmaking ability with his legs. But if there is anyone out there who could develop a plan to make a quarterback successful, it’s Matt LaFleur.
Of course, it will all come down to the dollars and cents of it all. Lucky for the Packers, the Falcons are still on the hook for a large portion of Cousins’ salary. Any contract he signs will come off that dollar amount, so they might be able to get him relatively cheap. Wherever he ends up signing will probably be post-draft so he can scan the landscape and see what his best opportunity will be. Once the dust settles, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the former division rival backing up Jordan Love in 2026. With familiarity with Matt LaFleur, familiarity with the division, and the chance at winning a Super Bowl, both sides could do a lot worse.