MARCH 10: Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (subscription required) report that while Cousins is indeed the Falcons’ top target, the Vikings are by no means out of the running. The Vikes and Cousins were still negotiating as of the end of the week, and Graziano noted that Cousins and his family like Minnesota, and the fans like him (to say nothing of the presence of star wideout Justin Jefferson and head coach Kevin O’Connell, a well-respected play-caller).
A team source tells Fowler that there is a 50-50 chance the Vikings will re-sign Cousins. Though Atlanta is a major threat here, and though Minnesota will have its financial limits after paying Cousins $185MM over the past six years, a re-up remains a distinct possibility.
MARCH 5: Today marks the franchise tag deadline, but plenty of other questions loom around the NFL with free agency only one week away. Kirk Cousins remains the subject of considerable attention and speculation given his status as the top quarterback set to be available on the open market. 
Talks with the Vikings are ongoing, but reports from the weekend suggested Minnesota is preparing to at least let the 35-year-old gauge his value with outside suitors. A number of teams would no doubt show passing interest in the four-time Pro Bowler at a minimum, but the Falcons have increasingly emerged at the forefront of a Cousins pursuit. Further developments continue to point in that direction.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes he has received “very credible indications that Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta.” While athletes often own real estate in a number of markets, a step such as this would of course point to a deal with the Falcons being agreed upon. Atlanta is well known as being in position to add at the QB spot, and the team may prefer a contract with Cousins to a trade resulting in the acquisition of Georgia native Justin Fields.
The latter’s future with the Bears will of course represent a major domino in the 2024 offseason as it pertains to quarterbacks. Chicago is expected to deal Fields in a move setting the team up for Caleb Williams being selected first overall in April’s draft. The market for Fields will be complicated by the fact the Bears are willing to move on (presuming that decision is the one ultimately made by GM Ryan Poles) as well as the availability of more established options in Cousins and Baker Mayfield.
Cousins’ Achilles tear ended his sixth Vikings season, one in which he posted strong numbers prior to the injury. Minnesota has remained steadfast in terms of public endorsements of a new agreement, although length and the guarantee structure of any new pact will no doubt be sticking points. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports neither side has set a final price point for negotiations, which can continue through to the start of the legal tampering period (March 11).
The Vikings do not have an obvious Cousins successor on the roster, and the No. 11 draft slot will keep the team out of reach of the best QB prospects barring a sizable trade-up maneuver. Unless an agreement can be worked out in short order, though, the team could very well be tasked with finding a new starter for the first time since 2018. Should Cousins reach free agency, the Falcons will remain a team to watch closely.
What will the Vikes do when Cousins signs with the Falcons? Trade for Fields?
This would be the most “Bears” thing ever. Trade Justin to the Vikings to draft a new Quarterback that will fail in their system as history repeats itself again. Only to watch Fields lead the Vikings to multiple playoff appearances in their own division.
Fields has played the Vikings twice a year for three years. There is no way that the Vikings would touch Fields, ” with a ten foot pole”!!
Fields is going to lead the Vikings to multiple playoff appearances? Well tell us you don’t know football without telling us you don’t know football!
Probably aggressively try to move up in the draft for a QB, sign a middling cheap vet like Jimmy G or Russ, and soft reboot the team letting Hunter go while cutting Hitman. Probably the better long-term decision than giving Kirk 50m per year.
Maybe sign Russell Wilson or Baker in that case.
I doubt the Bucs will let Baker reach the free agent market. Wilson is a pretty poor substitute for Cousins but at least the Vikes won’t be considering a reunion with Sam Bradford.
I think Russell is getting the short end of the stick. He looked pretty solid last year. He had two coaches, one of them was the worst coaching hire possibly since Freddie Kitchens the other is Payton whose entire career hinges on the back of Drew Brees.
Russell was traded to a team who overpaid in that trade, couldn’t get Adams for him or other WR targets for that matter and then strapped themselves by giving him that deal then blowing it all up the next year when bringing in SP.
They’ll be waving goodbye to JJ. He won’t sign with Fields at qb or one of the top rookies. Typical Vikings move coming up. Insert head into own azz.
Coming off Achilles heel and being 35. Not worth the 35 to 50 million per year. Besides cousins is overrated
I think he is underrated. He has been on teams with poor coaching, poor players, and a ton of garbage O-Line play. He is the 5th most accurate passer in the history of the NFL as of right now.
When they made the playoffs in 2022 he threw 2 TD, 0 INT, 1 rushing TD, 0 sacks in a loss.
I think he is a product of poor coaching and teams in general more than his own play.
I agree he’s better than given credit for but he has hamstrung them with his contracts. They’re gonna eat a lot of dead cap space if he leaves- Which is what he held over them before the last deal. I’m thinking they’re gonna just bite the bullet and take the hit and regroup. Wilson could be surprisingly good in that system and sign for league minimum. And btw.. He’ll hamstring Atlanta the same way because he’s demanding so much guaranteed money and they’ll have to add extra years to handle cap space.
Rondon you are 100% right about his contracts.
JJ TJ and Cook are all poor players. Hmmmm maybe poor assessment on your part. Cousins is not the reason the Vikes lost most times. But he is also not a superior QB that has any business asking for 50 million a year. Only time will tell what he gets. I am hoping that MN moves on the Cousins experiment did not take them where they wanted to go. Time to move on.
TJ is a good TE, and he became even better when he came to Minnesota. His catch rate increased by almost 10% when he played with Cousins.
I was more speaking towards his time in Washington where he was playing with C and D level receivers as his #1 like Jamison Crowder and Pierre Garcon.
On his cap number he has never carried a cap over 31.4 million which is similar to comparable guys like Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Matt Stafford, and plenty of other starters around that time taking roughly 14-16% of the cap space for their team.
I can see why Viking fans would want to move on, but I think Kirk being the sole reason for not having more success isn’t quite fair.
I am a Packer fan and I think Kirk has been great for the vikings all things considered. There are years where their defense is nasty but the O-line sucks, or the offense is great but the defense slips and the pieces haven’t fallen right. But I can definitely understand wanting to try something new.
Russell would be a great option for the Vikings on a cheap deal due to the Broncos paying him this year. Take that money saved and give JJ his flowers.
He’s gonna get 4yrs 185-200m. A lot of money on the table for some of these QB desperate teams & he just might be the best UFA QB available
Sign Captain Kirk and Trade justin jefferson!
The Captain Kirk I know failed in the big games in Washington and Minnesota….. he doesn’t get it done people!
Like when he led the Washington Redskins to the biggest come-from-behind win in their history. You like that!
If Fields doesn’t end up in Atlanta where does he go? Pittsburghs new oc had a chance to draft him and passed, don’t see the Bears trading in the division to the Vikes, the Raiders hired his oc that he publicly called out last year, maybe Seattle or the Giants but they’ve already got big dollars tied up in the position. He may end up being a back up next year.
Giants already have a QB mistake….don’t need another teams in Fields….
The National Enquirer is far more reliable than Florio.