After weeks of speculation and poor quarterback play, the Minnesota Vikings finally swung a trade to bring Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota.
The deal, which sent a 2027 third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders, gives the Vikings some much-needed stability at the position. But it also revisits a history that some fans would like to forget, where he was good enough to win games but not good enough to help the Vikings win a championship.
That narrative was a key reason why Cousins was allowed to leave and sign a four-year, $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons following the 2023 season.
But after three years away, the Vikings are betting that the 39-year-old can do what he couldn’t during his previous stint, giving him a chance to rewrite his place in franchise history.
Kirk Cousins has a second chance to accomplish what eluded him with the Vikings
Cousins initially came to Minnesota in the spring of 2018. The Vikings had just reached the NFC Championship Game and believed that Cousins could push them over the top after riding a carousel that included Teddy Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, and Case Keenum in 2017.
With the belief that he was the missing piece, the Vikings signed Cousins to a three-year, $84 million contract that was the first fully guaranteed deal in NFL history. But his arrival only led them to find that they were always missing a piece around him.
The Vikings had a solid defense in 2018, ranking ninth in points allowed (21.3 points per game) and fourth in yards per play (5.0). But the scheme run by offensive coordinator John DiFilippo frustrated head coach Mike Zimmer, and it was a big reason why the Vikings missed the playoffs with a record of 8-7-1.
Cousins led the Vikings to a 10-6 record and a playoff win during the 2019 season.
But Zimmer’s warning that they would have to sacrifice parts of the defense to accommodate Cousins’s salary came true the following offseason when Linval Joseph and Xavier Rhodes were released, and Everson Griffen and Trae Waynes left in free agency.
Those departures led to a youth movement during the 2020 season that saw the Vikings finish 29th with 29.7 points allowed per game. It also started a game of Whack-A-Mole where there always seemed to be something that prevented Cousins from taking the Vikings where they wanted to go.
The relationship between Zimmer and Cousins grew contentious before Zimmer was fired after the 2021 season. Kevin O’Connell’s arrival in 2022 solved some of the problems, as Cousins led the Vikings to an NFC North title and tied an NFL record with eight fourth-quarter comebacks.
But when the Vikings needed one more during a Wild Card game against the New York Giants, Justin Jefferson was double-covered on a 4th-and-8, leading Cousins to check down to T.J. Hockenson, who was stopped short on the final offensive play of the game.
While the Vikings stumbled to a 4-4 start in 2023, Cousins wasn’t part of the problem, posting a 69.5 completion percentage with 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns, and five interceptions in those eight games, including wins in his last three starts.
But he tore his Achilles tendon during a game against the Green Bay Packers and – with the exception of Sam Darnold’s 2024 season – the Vikings have been scrambling ever since.
Vikings bring back Kirk Cousins hoping he can finally deliver a Super Bowl
This sets the stage for Cousins’s redemption arc in Minnesota. The Vikings have struggled with Kyler Murray and Carson Wentz, and if Cousins is just average, it could be enough offense to push them over the top in the NFC North race.
While he is still expected to be the savior, he’s doing so at a $1.3 million cap hit, which is significantly less than what he was making during his last stint with the Vikings.
In addition, the Vikings also have the perfect infrastructure for him to succeed. Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson are still there from their last time in Minnesota, and if he can make plays downfield, it may be enough to bring life to the Vikings' stagnant running game.
Cousins also has a head coach who likes him and brought the best out of him during the two seasons they were together in Minnesota. Mix in a defense that just slowed down Josh Allen on Monday night, and Cousins should be the missing piece to the Vikings’ championship hopes.
In the past, Cousins wasn’t capable of living up to that billing. But if he’s able to pull the Vikings out of their current mess, win a few playoff games, and bring home the first Super Bowl in franchise history, it would be enough to make the narrative of being just good enough a thing of the past.
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