It has been a busy offseason for the Minnesota Vikings as they have added a ton of new talent and have been involved in quarterback rumors.
Minnesota spent roughly $300 million to bring in free agents and added five players from the 2025 NFL Draft. That draft helped the quarterback room fill up with the team trading with the Seattle Seahawks for Sam Howell and signing an undrafted free agent Max Brosmer. They join quarterbacks J.J. McCarthy and Brett Rypien to solidify the room for the 2025 season.
There has been much chatter about whether Aaron Rodgers or Kirk Cousins would be logical choices for the Vikings to bring in as backup or starter in 2025. Minnesota's latest move might just have ended one of their chances of returning to the franchise.
How one move by the Minnesota Vikings officially closed the door for a potential Kirk Cousins return
On Friday, the Vikings announced jersey numbers for new players and any current players who also made a change. Howell will be helming the No. 8 jersey for the 2025 season.
Cousins wore the No. 8 jersey during his six-year run as the starting quarterback. Former Vikings wide receiver Trishton Jackson took over the number eight last year.
If there was a subtle way of letting the fan base know about lingering rumors and shutting it down, this was the best way. There's no denying Cousins had a nice run with the Vikings, but it appears to be on his last legs in the NFL.
The 36-year-old quarterback spent last season with the Atlanta Falcons. However, things fell apart towards the end of the season, and he lost his job to Michael Penix Jr. with three games left. Cousins finished with 3,508 yards and 18 touchdowns, and he had a career-high 16 interceptions.
As the starter for the Vikings, he threw for 23,265 yards and 171 touchdowns to 55 interceptions in 88 games. Cousins led the team to the postseason twice, winning three seasons and making three Pro Bowls in Minnesota.
Minnesota has publicly endorsed McCarthy as the starting quarterback, with McCarthy standing in front of the media this week to tell them he's ready for the job. That hasn't stopped the constant conversations about Rodgers or Cousins wearing the purple jerseys.
Now with minicamps around the corner and every player granted their jersey numbers, this should at least tame the conversations to the point of being non-existent by training camp.