How much salt do we need for this one?
As we know, the Minnesota Vikings’ depth chart at quarterback still only has two names on it: second-year man (and presumed starter at this point) J.J. McCarthy and journeyman Brett Rypien. The Vikings will certainly be adding to their quarterback room here at some point, and one prominent NFL expert seems to think that the purple might be in the mood to bring back a familiar face.
Behind the great E$PN paywall, Adam Schefter has put together some last-minute draft intel as we roll into Draft Week, and he seems to suggest that the Vikings might be interested in acquiring former starter Kirk Cousins from the Atlanta Falcons. . .for the right price.
Atlanta has asked for any acquiring team to pay $20 million of the $45 million worth of guarantees left on Cousins’ contract. To date, no has been willing to do that, and no team is expected to be willing to. But what happens this weekend — and which franchises come out of the draft with or without rookie quarterbacks — could influence how much guaranteed money a team might be willing to absorb on Cousins’ contract.
There is a feeling around the league that a team, whether it is the Vikings or Steelers, might be willing to pay down roughly $10 million. How much any team would be willing to pay also would influence the compensation it gives up. The higher the payment, the lower the draft compensation; the lower the payment, the higher the draft compensation. The Falcons and Cousins, who has a no-trade clause, recognize their future is not together, and how it will play out could very well be influenced by this draft.
Cousins was the starter for the Vikings for six seasons, from 2018 to 2023, before departing for Atlanta last year in free agency. While Sam Darnold flourished in Minnesota in 2024 and turned that into a three-year, big money deal with the Seattle Seahawks, Cousins struggled in Atlanta in the aftermath of his 2023 Achilles injury and was ultimately benched for rookie Michael Penix Jr. near the end of the season.
With only four picks heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, if the Vikings were to make this sort of play for Cousins, it would almost certainly involve them dipping into their 2026 pick allotment. They’re currently projected to receive two extra picks in 2026 due to their free agent losses this offseason, but it still might be too high a price to pay for a quarterback who is closer to 40 than he is to 30 and would likely expect to at least compete for a starting quarterback job. The Vikings, based on their actions so far this offseason, seem content to allow McCarthy to assume the starting job and bring in a veteran presence to back him up rather than compete with him.
I don’t think the odds of the Vikings bringing Kirk Cousins back are especially high, but if there’s smoke here there might just be a fire in the vicinity. Just another potential level of intrigue as we move into the 2025 NFL Draft.