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Report: Kirk Cousins + Vikings Reunion Now Likely
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- Report: Kirk Cousins + Vikings Reunion Now Likely
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The Minnesota Vikings are expected to sign or trade for a veteran quarterback this offseason who his coaches, teammates and fans can trust in 2026, if JJ McCarthy proves he isn't ready to take the reins.
At this point, however, it's feeling more and more likely that head coach Kevin O'Connell covets more than just JJ McCarthy camp competition. And given how the top available QBs want to play in Minnesota , a bigger swing makes all the more sense.
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Until we get to the scouting combine next week — where high-ranking league executives are drinking and talking more loosely with each other and NFL reporters in Indianapolis — it will somewhat difficult for the Minnesota Vikings to fully gauge the offseason QB market.
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Confirmed: Minnesota Vikings looking for more than JJ McCarthy competition
But as longtime NFL insider Jason La Canfora (SportsBoom) confirmed Tuesday via numerous league executives that, unlike last offseason when they landed on Sam Howell, the Vikings are NOT going to sign "some stiff on a vet-minimum contract" quarterback.
McCarthy has proven to be difficult to be develop, according to multiple league sources, with his erratic play playing no small role in the franchise recently moving on from its general manager.
"They can say what they want publicly, but they have some serious questions about McCarthy," said one NFL general manager who is exploring myriad quarterback options.
"Look, they're signing somebody else to push him. And it's not just going to be some stiff on a vet-minimum contract."
La Canfora's article is only the latest piece of evidence showing, as we get closer to the combine, that Minnesota Vikings decision-makers inside TCO Performance Center are trying to acquire a quarterback good enough to flat-out replace their 2024 top-10 draft pick, at least for the immediate future.
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No longer are we hearing the Vikings involved in rumors for tweener options like Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones (off injury) or Joe Flacco. Instead, it's all rumors connecting them to starter options. Over the past week, those whispers have centered around Kyler Murray .
MN Vikings reunion with Kirk Cousins likely…?
In his article Tuesday, however, La Canfora does not mention Murray as a serious option in Minnesota. Instead, the many executives he has spoken with have him convinced that a Kirk Cousins + Vikings reunion will soon be in the works.
In fact, the veteran NFL reporter went as far as to write that a Cousins return to the Land of 10,000 lakes is likely.
The Vikings are eager for change as they struggle to develop former first-round pick JJ McCarthy. Despite interest from other teams, a reunion with Minnesota seems likely due to Cousins' fit and affection for the city.
There is now a growing sentiment among NFL executives in the market for quarterbacks that Cousins could very well end up back with the Vikings.
Cousins and his family loved being in Minnesota, he fits the system, they are loaded with skill player talent on the roster. It just may be too good a fit for the team or player to neglect.
Related: Tyreek Hill a Diehard Minnesota Vikings Fan?
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Which quarterback will they zero in on? We could get that answer even earlier than expected because it sounds like the Vikings might already have a pretty good idea of who they want… at least if you believe what Confora's NFL sources are selling him from their talks with Minnesota behind the scenes.
Return to MN Vikings definitely makes sense for Kirk Cousins
While with the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins amassed 23,265 passing yards, 171 touchdowns and just 55 interceptions — representing over half of his career numbers in each category.
Kirk's 67.9% completion rate in purple is easily the best of his career stops, as is his > 3/1 TD/INT ratio as a Viking. In Atlanta, Cousins threw 28 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. In Washington, he never even hit 2/1 (99/55).
Kirk Cousins gets the nose tackle to jump, then rips a back-shoulder dart to Justin Jefferson for a free-play touchdown pic.twitter.com/nMV6Dm2mSs
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) October 2, 2023
We all know how much Kyle Shanahan likes Kirk Cousins , which is why one NFL general manager told La Canfora that he could see Kirk ending up in San Francisco, should they trade away Mac Jones.
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The timing for that, however, does not make as much sense as Kirk landing back in Minnesota — which makes sense just given how likely Cousins would start over McCarthy vs Brock Purdy — even if the Niners do trade away Jones.
If the 49ers were to trade back-up quarterback Mac Jones, San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan drafted Cousins in Washington and has always been an admirer of his.
"But I'm not sure how the timing of that would work out," as a second GM put it. "And I don't think Jones is going anywhere."
That GM was fairly adamant about a Cousins reunion with Minnesota, though there will clearly be other interested parties.
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