The Minnesota Vikings may want a mulligan after letting Kirk Cousins get signed away by the Atlanta Falcons before the 2024 season, watching Michigan Wolverines football legend J.J. McCarthy suffer a season-ending injury in the preseason, and letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency to the Seattle Seahawks.
Heavy Sports’ Max Dible deemed Cousins the best possible backup to McCarthy during the 2025 season, claiming he’d be preferable to the Vikings’ current QB2, Sam Howell.
“Cousins will turn 37 years old in August and isn’t a longterm threat to McCarthy’s job security, though he would likely serve as a far more reliable insurance policy to the 22-year-old starter than Howell ever could,” Dible wrote.
“All of that renders Cousins as the best possible candidate — of those currently on the market — to serve as QB2 behind McCarthy…”
The SKOR North podcast’s Judd Zulgad doesn’t foresee Minnesota GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah resting on his laurels if Howell doesn’t come out of training camp looking ready to step in, should McCarthy go down.
“I think training camp will dictate some things. I’ll go back to Sam Howell. If Sam Howell craps out in training camp, I don’t know that they’re going to just sort of hold their breath and hope that J.J. [McCarthy] does not get hurt,” Zulgad said.
Cousins would have to be acquired in a trade with Atlanta. It’s unclear how much the Falcons would be willing to financially facilitate such a deal.
Carson Wentz not an option for the Minnesota Vikings
Another name who’s been connected to the Vikings this offseason, who’s still available on the free agent market, is Carson Wentz.
Unfortunately, Wentz may go unsigned by all 32 teams this offseason, given his tepid market. His announcement that his wife is expecting a child might take him off the market altogether.