We've ranked the top six landing spots for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2024, ranked in order of Cousins signing with the franchise.
Kirk Cousins was in the middle of a very good 2023 campaign before his season ended with an Achilles injury in Week 8. Now, he's scheduled to be a free agent in March, and the Minnesota Vikings are trying to decide if he will ever suit up for the team again.
If Minnesota decides not to re-sign him, there will be no shortage of suitors. Several NFL teams are in desperate need of a bona fide franchise quarterback.
Cousins, however, will turn 36 in August, and the clock is ticking on his career. Even if a team is willing to pony up and sign him to a huge deal, he'll strongly consider whether the organization will be a good fit.
Among the considerations will be the strength of the team’s offensive line, offensive firepower, coaching, and direction the franchise is trending.
If a particular organization is in the middle of a rebuild or has a recent history of losing, chances are good that Cousins will pass.
Recently, DraftKings Network put together a list of potential Cousins destinations for 2024.
After examining the DraftKings betting lines for who will land the quarterback, the following is a ranking of the top six most likely destinations according to the Network.
Kirk Cousins Destination No. 6
Washington Commanders (+1600 Odds)
The idea is intriguing, to say the least. Cousins was a fourth-round draft pick by Washington in 2012 and spent his first six years as a pro with the Commanders.
The first few years of his career were spent sharing time with fellow quarterback Robert Griffin III before taking over the starting job in 2015. Cousins then signed with Minnesota before the 2018 season.
Washington ended 2023 with a 4-13 record. After the season, head coach Ron Rivera was fired, and former Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn took his place. Then, former USC offensive assistant Kliff Kingsbury was hired as the Commanders’ offensive coordinator in early February.
The rumor mill says that Kingsbury was hired because of his close relationship with former USC quarterback (and presumptive first-overall pick in the 2024 draft) Caleb Williams.
The Commanders currently own the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and the Chicago Bears have the top spot. Although the Bears have Justin Fields listed as their starting quarterback, the thinking is they will move him and select Williams.
Should that happen, Washington could grab former UNC quarterback Drake Maye or even Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels from LSU. Or, because of the Kingsbury hire, perhaps Washington and Chicago will swap positions so the Commanders can reunite coach and quarterback.
Currently, the Commanders have a competitive offense with receivers Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson, tight end Logan Thomas, and running back Brian Robinson.
Their offensive line isn’t great, and Pro Football Network gave the group a 25th overall ranking in their postseason report in January.
Washington is also in the middle of a rebuild, with longtime former owner Daniel Snyder out the door and replaced by a group led by Josh Harris.
There is cap space and room to grow, and every indication is that the new ownership group will spend money to make the team competitive.
Ultimately, the idea that Cousins will return to the D.C. area for an organization with a weak offensive line and a rebuild on the table doesn’t look promising.
Also, Washington may like the idea of signing Cousins to tutor their new prize draft pick. That would also mean that Cousins’ future with the Commanders means a spot on the bench after the new quarterback is developed. That’s especially true if the team moves to No. 1 and selects Williams.
It’s pretty safe to say this destination is a no-go for Cousins.
Kirk Cousins Destination No. 5
Tennessee Titans (+1200 Odds)
Tennessee doesn’t seem to be the most likely destination for Kirk Cousins in 2024, which is probably why DraftKings gave the franchise +1200 odds.
On one hand, the team does have a new head coach in Brian Callahan. He was formerly the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals, where quarterback Joe Burrow helped transform the offense from bottom of the barrel to as high as seventh in the NFL in points scored (2021 and 2022).
Shortly after he was hired by the Titans, Callahan brought in his father, Bill Callahan, from the Cleveland Browns.
Callahan is regarded as the best offensive line coach in the business, with decades of NFL experience. The Titans will benefit from his tutelage, as the offensive line was ranked dead last in the league in 2023 by PFN.
Rounding out the offense, Tennessee has Treylon Burks and DeAndre Hopkins at receiver.
On the other hand, Brian Callahan is a rookie head coach who is expected to call plays for the offense. Despite having his father on board, the younger Callahan will suffer from first-time NFL head coach growing pains.
Burks isn’t panning out to be the pass-catcher that Tennessee thought it was getting when they drafted him 18th overall in 2022. There have also been rumors that Hopkins wants to sign with a team that will be more competitive in 2024.
Furthermore, the Titans don’t expect to re-sign veteran running back Derrick Henry, and the team already has Will Levis at quarterback.
Basically, Cousins would be signing with an organization that has major holes everywhere on the offense.
It’s obvious that Tennessee is undergoing a major rebuild and is a few years away from seeing a large uptick in wins. This destination is a hard pass for Cousins.
Kirk Cousins Destination No. 4
Las Vegas Raiders (+800 Odds)
Las Vegas had a rough 2023, going 8-9 overall. The upside is Josh McDaniels was canned as the head coach after a 3-5 start to the year, and Antonio Pierce went 5-4 as the interim.
With Pierce at the helm, the Raiders appeared to be inspired and played hard, leading to the former NFL linebacker getting the full-time head coach job this offseason.
At its core, Las Vegas has the potential to have a solid offense with running back Josh Jacobs, receivers Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and Hunter Renfrow, and an offensive line ranked 12th overall by PFN.
Former starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was benched last season and replaced by rookie Aidan O’Connell. In his 10 starts, O’Connell had 2,218 passing yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He played as well as can be expected, but the Raiders will need a better arm in 2024 and beyond.
Kirk Cousins might like the idea of ending his career with the Silver-and-Black, and his presence under center would help keep Adams from wanting out in 2024. Jacobs isn’t exactly a lock to return either, as he is a free agent this year, but having a franchise QB might sway him to stay put.
On paper, the Raiders look like a team that's just a few players away from contending, and Cousins would certainly be a magnet for free agents looking to join a winner.
Even with the uncertainty of Pierce as a first-time, full-time NFL head coach and Las Vegas’s propensity to underachieve, Cousins might like the idea of restoring the "Just Win Baby!" mentality to the franchise.
Owner Mark Davis has money to spend, and the franchise has a history of bringing in older quarterbacks and winning (Jim Plunkett, Rich Gannon). Let's call Las Vegas a dark horse contender for Cousins.
Kirk Cousins Destination No. 3
New England Patriots (+500 Odds)
If there is an organization that is in desperate need of a top-flight quarterback, it’s the Patriots.
Last year, head coach Bill Belichick alternated between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe, and the result was a 4-13 record.
After the season, New England fired Belichick after 24 years and hired Jerod Mayo, the team’s inside linebackers coach, as his replacement. Mayo played in the NFL for eight years and is considered a bright, young head coach.
In addition to Mayo, the Pats recently hired Alex Van Pelt to run the offense. Van Pelt was fired by the Browns this offseason after spending the past four years with the organization.
While leading the offense in Cleveland, the Browns qualified for the playoffs in two of his four years on the job. Van Pelt is also a former NFL quarterback, which makes his teaching more credible to current pro signal-callers.
That’s about it as far as positives for New England and Cousins joining forces.
The roster is a mess, and it will be hard for the team to bring in quality free agents who want to play for a team in disarray.
In 2023, the Pats had a backfield that consisted of former Cowboy Ezekiel Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson, both of whom rushed for just over 600 yards apiece.
New England doesn’t have any notable receivers, and the offensive line was ranked by PFN as the 17th-best in 2023.
There isn’t much to think about here. Cousins would be foolish to sign with a team that has a long, long way to go to be relevant.
Kirk Cousins Destination No. 2
Atlanta Falcons (+300 Odds)
Atlanta is yet another team with a new head coach. Raheem Morris replaces Arthur Smith, who had all of 21 wins during his three years on the job.
Unlike Brian Callahan, Antonio Pierce, and Jerod Mayo, Morris has NFL head coaching experience. He was the top dog with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2011 and he was even the Falcons interim head coach in 2020. He has experience in coaching both sides of the ball as well.
Despite their poor record during the past six seasons, Atlanta has a solid roster.
Running back Bijan Robinson had 976 rushing yards and four touchdowns and added 58 receptions for 487 yards and four more touchdowns in 2023 as a rookie.
Receiver Drake London is a 6-foot-4 giant who has 141 receptions in two years as a pro. Tight end Kyle Pitts just wrapped his third year and caught 53 passes for 667 yards and three scores in 2023.
Where the Falcons have faltered is with quarterback play. Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke both struggled last season, and the belief is the team will look for a new arm this year.
That’s where Cousins comes in.
Ridder and Heinicke couldn’t help a loaded offense, but Cousins would be a significant upgrade. Not only would Cousins have great targets to throw and hand off to, but PFN gave the Falcons offensive line a ninth overall rating for 2023.
It’s not totally unrealistic to see him in a Falcons uniform next season.
Kirk Cousins Destination No. 1
Minnesota Vikings (-200 Odds)
It’s easy to see why Kirk Cousins could return to the Land of 10,000 Lakes. There are very few guarantees in the NFL, but one that Minnesota fans can count on is the performance of Cousins.
Since he came to Minnesota in 2018, Cousins has passed for over 4,000 yards in four of his six seasons. It would have been five if he wasn’t injured this past season.
Before hurting his Achilles, Cousins had passed for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns, and just five picks. One can only imagine what he could have accomplished with nine more games under his belt.
Speaking of injuries, before 2023, Cousins had not missed a start in any of his seasons with the Vikings (he did not play by choice in the regular season final in 2019).
In fact, during his three full years as a starter in Washington from 2015 to 2017, Cousins played every game as well. That kind of durability from a pro quarterback is extremely rare.
Some media talking heads believe that the Vikings would do well to draft a replacement for Cousins. That sounds good in theory, but NFL history is littered with “sure-fire” college players who don’t pan out as a pro.
It’s very doubtful that Minnesota would trade up to get Caleb Williams or Drake Maye in April's draft. However, they could stay put at No. 11 and get a future franchise QB to learn under Cousins for a few years.
Detractors also point out Cousins’ reported asking price of $90 million for two years. As high as that sounds, it’s not much more than the $35 million he was paid per year on his most recent deal.
There’s also the issue of the Vikings keeping their other offensive stars if Cousins doesn’t stay.
All-world receiver Justin Jefferson recently revealed that he would like to know Minnesota's plans for the quarterback position before he signs a long-term contract extension with the club.
This shouldn’t be a shock to anyone.
Cousins has repeatedly found ways to keep his pass catchers happy. How realistic is it to think that Jefferson will stay if a new quarterback (whoever it is) fails to live up to expectations and can’t consistently get him the ball?
Another reason some fans and media types want to discard Cousins is his failure to bring home a Super Bowl or even appear in the NFL’s biggest game. However, since 2015 alone, only two quarterbacks have won or appeared in the Super Bowl in all but two seasons, Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes.
In other words, getting to the Super Bowl isn’t as easy as one thinks.
Also, Cousins isn’t responsible for dropped passes, lack of protection from his offensive line (sacked 46 times in 2022 alone), or Alexander Mattison not becoming the second coming of Adrian Peterson (or Dalvin Cook for that matter).
The Vikings are close to becoming a very good football team and challenging Mahomes for a world title. Minnesota's defense got a little better in 2023 and finished near the middle of the pack.
PFN gave the much-improved offensive line a fifth overall grade, and the team has Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson catching passes.
Management needs to get realistic about starting over with a new quarterback and possibly blowing up a team ready to pounce.
It starts with re-signing Cousins, drafting or signing a good running back, then adding pieces to the offensive line and on defense.