For the last few weeks, it has seemed like the stars were aligning for Kirk Cousins to part with the Atlanta Falcons and return to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason. Well, that alignment might no longer exist after what the Falcons just did.
On Saturday, Atlanta announced that former Vikings offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski has been hired as their new head coach. With Stefanski having a history with Cousins from their time together in Minnesota, the chances of the veteran quarterback returning to the Vikings later this year seemed to immediately decrease after the Falcons' head-coaching announcement.
So, for the Minnesota fans who were hoping to pull their No. 8 jerseys out for the 2026 season, those might have to go back into storage since Atlanta might actually want to keep him around now.
Kirk Cousins return to Minnesota Vikings seems less likely after Atlanta Falcons hire Kevin Stefanski
Cousins and Stefanski were both in Minnesota during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In 2019, with Stefanski as his offensive coordinator, Cousins put together one of the best single-season performances of his NFL career, and they both helped lead the Vikings to a playoff win.
Their success together resulted in Stefanski getting hired to be the head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2020, and that's where he remained until this year, when they fired him, and he wound up landing with the Falcons.
Now that he's in Atlanta and he's already had success with Cousins in the past, it wouldn't be shocking if he wanted the veteran quarterback to remain with the team for the 2026 season, especially with Michael Penix Jr.'s status for the start of the 2026 campaign currently unknown as he recovers from a knee injury.
Eventually, the Falcons would probably like Stefanski to help Penix attempt to reach his full potential. But until he's back on the field, Atlanta can still make use of Cousins since they just hired a head coach who is very familiar with him.
Could Cousins still become a free agent at some point this offseason and potentially return to Minnesota? Sure, his contract is still set up for that to be a believable possibility, but Stefanski's arrival might have just changed the quarterback's expected departure with the Falcons.