As the NFL quarterback carousel continues to spin a little, those without a team (or without a starting job like former Minnesota Vikings signal-caller Kirk Cousins) have fewer and fewer options. The Vikings are experiencing an ever-thinning list of veteran options they could sign, as Joe Flacco, Josh Johnson, and Drew Lock have all signed recently.
Of course, the headliner on the list of quarterbacks without a team for 2025 is Aaron Rodgers. Thankfully, the Vikings have crushed his dreams of playing for them, unless J.J. McCarthy is injured or somehow unbearably awful during OTAs.
As for Cousins, he's on a team, but he'd really rather not be there. The Atlanta Falcons have suggested they're fine having him in place as a highly-paid backup to Michael Penix, but that did and still does feel flimsy.
There's a vague notion Cousins could wind up back with the Vikings, if it comes to it. That would not satisfy the idea he'd probably prefer to start somewhere, not that there are many options, but he would surely better embrace a mentorship role to McCarthy than Rodgers would. And with Flacco having signed with the Cleveland Browns, a significant potential option is off the board for Cousins.
Former Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins suggested as contingency plan for Pittsburgh Steelers
In a set of NFL notes published on Monday, in light of them having stayed in touch with the Falcons about a Cousins trade, Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer took a look at the impact of the Browns signing Flacco on the options Cousins now has.
Atlanta has apparently been steadfast that they won't take on much of the money Cousins is owed to facilitate a trade, and by all indications, he won't waive his no-trade clause until after this year's NFL Draft.
In considering where Cousins could go, Breer wrote the Browns are "a lot less likely now, but not completely impossible." Then came mention of a team that straddles the line of surprising and not surprising, depending on their circumstances.
"The other team I’d pay attention to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, if Aaron Rodgers decides not to go there. How he fits there, with the strong personalities in that locker room, and on offense in particular, is a fair question. But you don’t have to squint too hard to envision a marriage of convenience between two sides who, once the dust settles on Rodgers, may need each other."
Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports has the Pittsburgh Steelers on his list of potential landing spots for Cousins after the Browns signed Flacco, with the obvious caveat of Rodgers not ending up there. The Vikings and the New Orleans Saints, who may be without Derek Carr for the entire 2025 season, round out that list.
The Steelers make sense for Rodgers because they are a ready-made, playoff-caliber team that needs a quarterback. The same holds true for Cousins, and he's a solid contingency plan for them if the randomness of Rodgers leaves them holding the bag.