Around this time a year ago, Kirk Cousins made the decision to move on from the Minnesota Vikings after six seasons and sign with the Atlanta Falcons. It was a choice that both parties felt was necessary at the time, but now, there's a good chance that Cousins likely regrets his decision.
After he was benched by the Falcons midway through the 2024 campaign, there is a bunch of uncertainty surrounding the former Vikings quarterback about where he will be playing next season.
Atlanta has been attempting to convince everyone that they want to keep Cousins around for 2025 as the team's backup, despite his cap hit for the season currently being $40 million. Of course, not everyone believes the Falcons are actually going to do this, and if they do move on from him, then some believe a return to Minnesota might be a possibility.
Insider believes Kirk Cousins would attempt to return to the Minnesota Vikings if he parts with the Atlanta Falcons
During a recent episode of the "Access Vikings" podcast, the Minnesota Star Tribune's Ben Goessling was discussing some of the quarterbacks the Vikings could bring in this offseason to serve as a backup behind J.J. McCarthy, and Cousins was included in the conversation.
If Atlanta moves on from Cousins this year, Goessling believes the veteran quarterback could try to make his way back to Minnesota.
"If Kirk were to get cut in Atlanta, I would think that it will at least be on his radar to make a return to Minnesota. I don't know how interested the Vikings would be in this. We'll have to see.
I haven't gotten the sense that there's been a ton of conversations about that, at least at this point, but he's also a guy that you kind of know. You don't have to have a ton of a conversation about."
With the Vikings not adding another veteran quarterback in free agency yet this offseason, one has to wonder if they really are waiting to see if the Falcons are going to part with Cousins in the near future.
If Atlanta does decide to let him out the door, then that's when things would get interesting. Cousins would likely prefer to go to a team where he can still be the starter, but it's possible that he won't be viewed that way anymore after how poorly he played last season, in addition to the fact that he is going to turn 37 in August.
There have been plenty of examples of longtime NFL starting quarterbacks switching to a backup role near the end of their careers. Guys like Matt Hasselbeck, Andy Dalton, Mark Brunell, Randall Cunningham, and Brad Johnson were all able to extend their time in the league by swallowing their pride and taking on the role of a backup signal-caller at the end of their pro careers.
If this is something that Cousins is willing to do if it means he can continue his NFL career and return to a familiar place where he just spent a good portion of his life, then a return to Minnesota might be possible.
It would just need to be made very clear that McCarthy is going to be the starting quarterback for the Vikings next season, and Cousins is not being brought in to stage some sort of competition.
Minnesota already has its starter for the 2025 campaign, they just need to find a veteran quarterback to be the team's top backup and use their experience to help with McCarthy's development. Is that something Cousins would be willing to do, or would he rather go to a team where he can have at least a chance to start next season?