Vikings Rumors: Minnesota wants Kirk Cousins to return in 2024

It doesn't seem like a guarantee that Kirk Cousins won't be back with the Minnesota Vikings for the 2024 NFL season.

Now that Kirk Cousins is on injured reserve and is recovering from successful surgery on his torn Achilles tendon, there are questions about whether or not the veteran quarterback has played his last snap with the Minnesota Vikings.

Before the injury, signs seemed to indicate that Minnesota would likely be moving on from Cousins to find a young passer to take control of this team for many years to come. However, that might not be such a foregone conclusion.

Recently, Dianna Russini published an article on The Athletic website that discussed the possible future of Kirk Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings as well as shared some information about Cousins' recovery.

What could the future hold for Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings?

Kirk Cousins is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2023 NFL season but was among the best quarterbacks in the league when he suffered his devastating injury. He was a big part of the Minnesota Vikings fighting to go from 0-3 to 4-4.

Of course, the Vikings would probably love to have him back for 2024 and beyond based on his play. Russini shared that there have been talks that Minnesota could try to talk the veteran passer into returning to the team.

"Cousins is out for the season and will be a free agent in 2024. Though his future is unclear, conversations I’ve had with sources over the last few months suggest Minnesota will try to bring him back and that there are many in the building and locker room who want that."

- Dianna Russini - The Athletic

One of the major challenges with this situation is the salary cap. Average yearly costs for starting quarterbacks have gone through the roof and getting Cousins back could be something that doesn't fit with a team attempting a competitive rebuild.

Minnesota already owes Cousins a healthy chunk of future money based on void years from his current contract. When you combine that with any future contract, that means Minnesota could price themselves out of any offseason bidding war.

There is always a chance that the Minnesota Vikings will be able to work something out with Kirk Cousins to reunite for at least one more season. That story will be one to watch during the upcoming months and could be a decision that has a massive impact on the future of the franchise.