Three Kirk Cousins Replacements For the Minnesota Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings lost Kirk Cousins for good on Monday as the veteran quarterback agreed to a deal with the Atlanta Falcons worth $180 million over four years. The numbers are always funky in NFL free agency so here's the one that matters-- $100 million guaranteed. The Vikings, it seems, were not willing to go that high for a quarterback coming off an Achilles tear.

Atlanta got their guy and Cousins gets another fat stack, bringing his career earnings to a whopping $331 million. Good for them. The Vikings, however, are now in something of a tough spot. Their roster is talented enough to compete for the postseason. They've got the best receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson and a budding No. 2 in Jordan Addison. The defense had a tough start in 2023 but came on extremely strong near the end and it seems like Brian Flores will be back in 2024 to elevate the unit further. They'll be hard-pressed to win the division but a wild card spot is absolutely within reach.

As such, Minnesota's front office is not going to willingly take a gap year and waste next season in pursuit of a high pick to draft Cousins' replacement. They will be looking for answers immediately, both short-term and long-term. Here are three potential routes for the Vikings to take to replace Cousins for the 2024 season and beyond.

Sam Darnold

Apparently this is where the Vikings' mind immediately went after Cousins left. Dianna Russini reported that Darnold is one of the team's top backup options minutes after the news broke of Cousins' departure.

Well... that is definitely a path they can take. Darnold didn't do much to revitalize his reputation while in San Francisco with the 49ers last season. He started only one game, the season finale after the Niners had the top seed in the NFC locked up, and completed 16 of 26 passes for 189 yards and one touchdown in a one-point loss to the Rams. He may be the beneficiary of the Mitch Trubisky effect (when he's out of sight and out of mind for long enough that people forget how severe his shortcomings are) but overall this seems like a cost-effective bridge option for the Vikings. Sign Darnold for cheap, believe that the talent combined with Kevin O'Connell's scheme will elevate him, and start looking for an answer for the 2025 season.

There are worse routes to take, but it is worth questioning if Darnold is the guy they want to go with.

JJ McCarthy

The Vikings have the 11th overall pick in the draft, which means they are too far away to grab one of the top three quarterback prospects. They could move up to No. 3 if the Patriots are willing to dance but it would cost an arm and a leg. It is far more realistic they stay put and the buzz from the combine suggests JJ McCarthy will be the fourth QB off the board, projected to go right around when the Vikings pick. While everybody has their own opinion about McCarthy's readiness to be a professional quarterback, the Vikes are set up well to support a rookie QB with flaws like him.

You can therefore see the vision. Take the game-managing prospect who has a ton of big-time wins under his belt and do not ask him to do anything other than hit the open throws. If he can do that while backed by a strong run game then Minnesota is in decent shape, and the chance of McCarthy developing into an above-average quarterback on his rookie deal means their ceiling raises significantly over the next few years. Of course, McCarthy could end up being a huge bust who provides what Darnold would have and the Vikings waste the 11th pick in the draft. It is risky but the boom potential could be worth it.

Justin Fields

It seems clear now that the Bears want to ditch Justin Fields in favor of Caleb Williams, and the fact that everybody knows it means their trade options are quite limited. Perhaps limited enough that they would fork over Fields to a division rival in exchange for a low draft pick. In which case the Vikings should be all over a potential deal.

I named the Vikings as a potential dark horse candidate last month and the reasoning remains true. Fields could be a good quarterback, especially in a well-designed offensive system, and Minnesota now has nothing to lose in terms of taking a flyer. Trading for Fields also does not preclude them from making other moves in the quarterback space. They probably wouldn't use No. 11 overall on a QB if they got Fields but they could definitely still sign Darnold or another backup/bridge quarterback. If the Bears just want Fields off their plate then Minnesota will be in the running for his services and could end up with their QB of the future for a Day 3 pick.