Ever since Kirk Cousins was benched by the Atlanta Falcons last season, fans of the Minnesota Vikings have been waiting for the next shoe to drop for their former starting quarterback.
Everyone expected Cousins to get traded, if not outright released, this offseason, with Michael Penix Jr. fully entrenched as the Falcons’ new QB1. Vikings fans even wondered if a Cousins reunion with Minnesota would happen after their team traded Sam Howell to the Philadelphia Eagles in late August.
The Falcons surprisingly took a different path — holding onto Cousins and his $45 million per-year contract as the most expensive backup in NFL history, despite the player’s request to be moved to a team in need of a veteran starting QB.
Cousins has spent the majority of 2025 either on the bench or struggling on the field in relief of Penix; in three game appearances, Cousins is completing just 61.5 percent of his passes and a career-low 4.8 yards per pass attempt.
Now, with Penix dealing with a potentially season-ending knee injury, Cousins appears set to get his wish of being a starting quarterback again, just not in the way anybody wanted for the likable, 14-year veteran.
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins might be watching his NFL career come to a close
The Falcons (3-7) enter Week 12 on the brink of another lost season, with Cousins set to take the reins for a team looking to end a five-game losing streak. Their schedule is about to lighten, with road games against the struggling New Orleans Saints (2-8) and New York Jets (2-8) coming up, but with No. 1 wide receiver Drake London banged up, Cousins could have a hard time throwing on the cape and being a savior.
That Atlanta basically gave up on trying to trade Cousins and his bad contract this offseason kind of says it all. At 37 years old, and still two years removed from a torn Achilles tendon, the former Vikings fan favorite appears headed for an ugly ending to a fruitful career (at least in terms of player earnings).
Even with the Vikings’ ongoing quarterback issues, their decision to move on from Cousins following the 2023 season was clearly the right call.
Fans may crack a smile, seeing him get yet another opportunity as a starter, but it hasn’t been pretty for Cousins since he left Minnesota, and it likely won’t get better anytime soon in 2025 and beyond.