7 realistic QB options for the Vikings to replace Kirk Cousins in 2023

With Kirk Cousins expected to miss the rest of the 2023 season with a reported Achilles injury, who are some quarterbacks the Minnesota Vikings could turn to as a replacement?

Following the reported Achilles injury suffered by Kirk Cousins on Sunday, the Minnesota Vikings and their fans are experiencing a deflating kind of feeling that they likely haven't felt since Teddy Bridgewater suffered his serious leg injury right before the start of the 2016 season.

Unlike the Bridgewater injury, the Vikings have hardly any time to find a replacement for Cousins in the starting lineup, as they are now 4-4 this season with nine games left on their schedule.

Before potentially adding a new quarterback to their roster, Minnesota must first figure out what their goal is for the rest of the 2023 campaign.

Are they okay with sticking with a signal-caller already on their roster and possibly losing the majority of the games left on their schedule in order to get a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft? Or would the Vikings rather see what they can do to bring someone in who could potentially lead them to the playoffs?

Whatever Minnesota decides to do in the next few days, they're likely going to have to add a new face to their quarterback room since Nick Mullens is still on injured reserve for at least one more week.

So who are some of the more realistic options the Vikings might turn to as their starting quarterback for the rest of the 2023 season?

1. Colt McCoy

After Mullens suffered a back injury earlier this month, Minnesota brought in veteran quarterback Colt McCoy for a workout. The Vikings didn't end up signing McCoy, but he might be someone the team considers bringing in now that Cousins is injured.

McCoy has been in the NFL since 2010, and during a portion of his tenure with the Washington Commanders, current Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell was his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. So there is already a familiarity there between O'Connell and the veteran signal-caller.

Most recently, McCoy was a member of the Arizona Cardinals. In 2021 and 2022, McCoy led the Cardinals to a 3-3 record during the six games in which he was a starter.