4 Minnesota Vikings who deserve to be back in 2024 and 4 that do not

Deserves To Be Back: Kirk Cousins - QB

This one could be divisive, but Kirk Cousins deserves another couple of years with the Vikings.

Cousins was balling out with the team when his Achilles ruptured against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.

He was having an MVP-caliber type of season, and the team was starting to roll even without Justin Jefferson.

With Cousins on the sidelines, Vikings fans have come to realize, whether they want to admit it or not, how vital he is to the team's success.

Jaren Hall had one good drive, and Josh Dobbs had a couple of decent weeks before turning into a bumbling turnover machine in an offense that couldn't produce any points.

Nick Mullens has been able to move the ball but has also made some crucial mistakes that took points off the board and were key to the Vikings' most recent losses.

With Cousins at the helm, the Vikings are likely 11-4 and are not worrying about getting into the playoffs but worrying about where they should go during their first-round bye.

The Vikings and their fans deserve to see a team led by Cousins on offense with a defense that is successfully running Brian Flores's scheme. That is a team that can compete for a championship.

It's unclear if Flores will take a head coaching job, but the Vikings can control what happens with Cousins, and having him finish his career in Minnesota is something that he deserves a chance to do.