Vikings Rumors: AFC North team could be 'a fit' for Kirk Cousins

One of the latest Minnesota Vikings rumors involves quarterback Kirk Cousins and the potential of the Pittsburgh Steelers making an attempt to sign him in 2024.

In a little over a month, Kirk Cousins is going to officially become a free agent, and he will have to decide if he wants to stay with the Minnesota Vikings or if he wants to play with another NFL team.

There is still certainly a chance that Cousins could re-sign with the Vikings this year, but there's also a good chance that a team in a better position to win immediately could view the quarterback as a player that could help them get over the hump.

Teams like the Atlanta Falcons and Las Vegas Raiders have been mentioned as possible landing spots for Cousins, but there's a team in the AFC North that could potentially make a run at him this offseason as well.

Vikings Rumors: Kirk Cousins believed to be "a fit" for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024

During a recent episode of the "PFF NFL Show" podcast, PFF's Brad Spielberger and Sam Monson went over a few teams from around the NFL that could potentially sign Cousins this year.

Spielberger had the following to say about the Pittsburgh Steelers being a possible fit for the veteran quarterback this offseason.

"I wonder if [the Steelers] sit there and say, 'look, we've gone 9-8, 10-7 a bunch of years in a row with replacement-level quarterback play, below average [quarterback play], no question about it...

Let's make a bit of a splash, go get Kirk Cousins, and we think we can win a couple playoff games with everything the same [and] a clear upgrade at quarterback.'"

Currently, the Steelers are projected to begin the new league year in March more than $16 million over the salary cap, according to OverTheCap.com.

Cousins' current market value from Spotrac is projected to earn him a contract with an annual value of more than $39 million. So, if Pittsburgh would like to sign the Pro Bowl quarterback, they will have to create a significant amount of cap space during the next few weeks.

It's certainly not impossible, as clearing a bunch of cap space is something that teams around the league do every offseason.

Spielberger also talked a bunch about the Steelers' recent hiring of Arthur Smith as their new offensive coordinator and how his system could be better suited for one of the veteran quarterbacks scheduled to be available in free agency this year like Cousins or Ryan Tannehill.

Smith worked with Tannehill when he was the offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020. Given Cousins' projected price tag this offseason, Pittsburgh might target the more affordable Tannehill instead, given his previous relationship with Smith.

Then, one has to consider what the Steelers would like to do with quarterback Kenny Pickett. Pittsburgh selected Pickett in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, and he still has two years left on his contract.

For whatever reason, Pickett just hasn't been able to live up to the expectations that come with being a first-round draft pick. Are the Steelers ready to move on from the young quarterback after only two seasons?

All of these questions should have answers at some point during the next few weeks, but, at the very least, there are definitely multiple reasons that make the Steelers a believable landing spot for Cousins this year.