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Kirk Cousins Traded to Vikings, and 4 Other Landing Spots After New Falcons Rumor
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- Kirk Cousins Traded to Vikings, and 4 Other Landing Spots After New Falcons Rumor
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Could Kirk Cousins soon force his way off the Atlanta Falcons roster? The situation between Atlanta and the four-time Pro Bowler was messy from the start. The team gave him a massive four-year, $180 million deal in the spring of 2024 despite making his way back from a torn Achilles. Then they surprisingly used a first-round pick that year on his eventual replacement, Michael Penix Jr .
Much of the failure of this marriage can be attributed to Cousins and his poor play in his debut season. However, despite being benched, the 37-year-old seemed in no rush to leave. That is, until now. According to Tyler Dragon of USA Today, Cousins "desires an opportunity to start elsewhere." It could lead to the QB pushing the front office to move him in the next week.
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If the Falcons are bold enough to trade him before the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline, let's look at five teams that might be willing to take on the rest of his contract , including his former team, the Minnesota Vikings .
Washington Commanders
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After another loss on Monday night, the Washington Commanders' season is headed in the wrong direction. Star QB Jayden Daniels continues to struggle to stay on the field in 2025, and backup Marcus Mariota has been average as a fill-in. Washington might be desperate to avoid missing the playoffs after reaching the NFC Championship last season, so it isn't out of the question that the franchise might be open to reuniting with the player they took in Round 4 of the 2012 draft to help keep them in playoff contention for the rest of 2025.
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Kirk Cousins stats: 43,181 passing yards, 288 TDs, 126 INTs, 97.3 rating (Career)
Cleveland Browns
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Should the Cleveland Browns make a trade for Kirk Cousins at this point in the season? Absolutely not. But the team has made quite a few confusing decisions when it comes to their QB spot over the last year. If they feel rookie Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders aren't the answer long-term, they might be willing to bring in the greybeard to lead the offense for the rest of the season, and then set up a battle for the starting job next summer against Deshaun Watson.
Las Vegas Raiders
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Kirk Cousins is on the books for two more seasons, so he doesn't have to be a QB fix option for a team just in 2025. That is why the Las Vegas Raiders could be a potential suitor. Unfortunately, Geno Smith has been a big disappointment this year. While they could draft a QB early in April, head coach Pete Carroll needs to win now and could consider bringing in a different veteran QB to get them back to being competitive and build a little momentum for next season.
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Kirk Cousins contract: Four years, $180 million
Minnesota Vikings
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Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings have been linked in trade rumors for months. While young starter JJ McCarthy has missed much of the season due to injury, he wasn't impressive when he did play. Carson Wentz proved Kevin O'Connell can't turn every QB into a borderline Pro Bowler. However, he has a track record with Cousins, and with Wentz now out for the season, Minny badly needs a viable backup option for the rest of 2025 and heading into next year.
Furthermore, with McCarthy not looking great as an NFL QB, it is one job in the league that Cousins would have a real chance of taking from the incumbent.
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Carolina Panthers
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Despite signs of hope last year, Bryce Young continues to prove he is just another first-round draft bust. Sooner or later, the Carolina Panthers and Dave Canales will want to try something new at the QB spot. Cousins could be an intriguing short-term fix in Carolina for the next year while they figure out how they want to approach the position in the post-Young era.
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