We've barely taken a full step into the offseason, and there's already plenty of rumors swirling about Kirk Cousins finding his way back to the Minnesota Vikings later this year after spending the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Well, those rumors aren't about to go anywhere after what the Falcons just did.
Earlier this week, ESPN's Field Yates shared that Atlanta and Cousins agreed to a modification of the remaining two years of his contract that will now likely lead to the quarterback becoming a free agent this offseason.
Basically, the Falcons have to cut Cousins by March 12th, or all $67.9 million of his 2027 salary will become guaranteed. No team in the NFL, including Atlanta, is going to pay him almost $70 million in 2027 to play, so come mid-March, expect him to be a free agent for the third time in his pro career.
Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins returning to the Minnesota Vikings in 2026 already feels like a guarantee
Some Vikings fans have begun the 2026 offseason by daydreaming about fairytale trades that would result in Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, or Lamar Jackson suiting up in a Minnesota uniform next season. But the reality is, a Cousins reunion with the Vikings is way more likely to happen than any of those fictional trades.
Cousins is 37-years-old, he's not going to cost anything close to what Minnesota paid him the last time he was on its roster, and the Vikings need a veteran backup who can help further the development of J.J. McCarthy.
If acquiring Burrow, Herbert, or Jackson is unable to happen, some Minnesota fans would probably prefer the team attempt to trade for Mac Jones or Kyler Murray. But then what would the Vikings do with McCarthy? Should they just give up on him after one season as a starter?
If the New England Patriots did that with Drake Maye or the Chicago Bears did that with Caleb Williams, then neither team would likely be as successful as they have been with those two quarterbacks this season.
McCarthy had plenty of terrible moments on the field in 2025, but he also had plenty of moments that showed why Minnesota used the highest draft pick on a quarterback in franchise history on him in 2024.
He deserves to at least compete for the Vikings' starting job this year, and that competition doesn't need to be anyone more skilled than Cousins. If McCarthy cannot beat out Cousins this summer to be Minnesota's starting quarterback, then the Vikings already have their answer about the young signal-caller's future with the team.
Sure, there's still the dream that Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell has on a nightly basis about Aaron Rodgers signing with the team in free agency later this year. But if Rodgers doesn't end up with the Vikings this offseason, expect Cousins to be right behind him to sign a contract and return to the Twin Cities.