Uncertainty surrounds the Minnesota Vikings when it comes to what they're going to do at the quarterback position in the upcoming offseason.
J.J. McCarthy has shown some flashes in his first year as a starter with the Vikings, but he still has a long way to go before the team can feel confident about him as their long-term QB1.
For 2026, Minnesota can choose to continue to be patient and stick with McCarthy as its starter again, or they can take a different path. One of those alternate paths could, believe it or not, lead to a reunion with former Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is likely going to be released by the Falcons in the upcoming offseason.
Could Kirk Cousins end up back with the Minnesota Vikings if the Atlanta Falcons cut him?
As we inch closer to the 2026 offseason, discussions have already begun about what Minnesota will do at quarterback next year, and whether it involves keeping McCarthy as the team's starter.
On Wednesday, SKOR North's Phil Mackey mentioned on an episode of "Purple Daily" that Cousins could be a legitimate possibility for the Vikings to consider bringing back in 2026.
Mackey outlined how the former Minnesota quarterback is likely going to get cut by Atlanta this offseason since he has a 2026 cap hit of $57.5 million.
This would then make Cousins a free agent at the age of 37, and while he's still performed well for the Falcons this season, there is a zero percent chance that he's going to be able to land one of the large, multi-year, lucrative contracts that he was able to earlier in his NFL career.
Mackey pointed out how a more affordable version of Cousins could be brought in by the Vikings to compete with McCarthy in training camp or to just be his backup for the 2026 season. If McCarthy ends up not being able to win the QB1 job over Cousins, then that would tell Minnesota all they need to know about the young quarterback's future.
As underwhelming as Cousins' tenure with the Vikings was since it only produced one playoff win, him having a contract that takes up a significantly lower amount of cap space would be a whole lot easier to tolerate.
He also knows Kevin O'Connell's offense, he's got chemistry with Justin Jefferson and all of Minnesota's other top playmakers, and his family enjoyed their time in the Twin Cities during his six years with the Vikings.
If Cousins becomes a free agent in 2026, he'll get the option to pick wherever he would like to go. But if Minnesota comes along and presents him with the opportunity to return, it might be difficult for him to turn that down.