No team has gotten more out of Kirk Cousins in his career than the Minnesota Vikings. The two were made for each other, especially with Kevin O'Connell as the head coach.
Since Cousins left the Vikings over a year ago to sign a lucrative four-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons, the Vikings have had three different quarterbacks—Sam Darnold, J.J. McCarthy, and Carson Wentz. Only one of those guys, Darnold, has found consistent success, and they let him walk.
Not to mention, Daniel Jones was backing up Darnold at the end of last season, and he's set the world on fire in Indianapolis.
There is a big problem in Minnesota at the most important position. That has become even more problematic with the rest of the roster being uber-talented, which could force the front office to be aggressive to add insurance before Tuesday's trade deadline.
Kirk Cousins is a legitimate trade target for the QB-needy Vikings
Fortunately for them, there is a guy in Atlanta who would be a plug-and-play option as they push for the postseason.
No one knows what the Falcons' plan is for Kirk Cousins. It would figure they would be willing to trade him, but they won't just take anything for him.
Many rumors have swirled going back to the offseason. The team has shown a stubbornness that may ultimately come back to haunt them if they can't get anything done before Tuesday. At which point, they would release him in the offseason, and receive no draft picks in return.
But the Vikings appear to be the top candidate to get a deal done in the coming days. They are desperate for good quarterback play, which the four-time Pro Bowler can provide them, especially with that elite supporting cast.
They are a playoff team with their former quarterback at the helm—no doubt about it. O'Connell knows how to get the best out of him and would get instant production out of him in ways that Zac Robinson can't.
Things are complicated with J.J. McCarthy; are they convinced he is their franchise quarterback? That is very much in question after what they saw in his first two starts, one of which came against the Falcons.
Not to mention, health plays a huge factor in this. He hasn't taken the field since the Falcons put a beating on him in Week 2. And now Carson Wentz is done for the year after they played him into the ground, so the No. 10 pick in the 2024 Draft will start in Week 9 against the Lions.
At least you know what you are getting with Cousins; the same cannot be said about anyone else. However, the 37-year-old comes with both age and monetary risk, and he didn't look particularly impressive starting in place of Michael Penix Jr. in Week 8.
The Vikings are very much in win-now mode with superstars like Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson, so fans are getting restless. They have to take advantage of their Super Bowl window and make a move to turn things around after their 3-4 start.
They are wasting another year if they don't trade for Cousins. No matter how expensive, this trade is very much in the cards as Tuesday looms.