One of the Minnesota Vikings’ archrival teams could be a landing spot for pending free agent in quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The four-time Pro Bowler is in the final year of his contract with Minnesota. Unfortunately, the 35-year-old signal-caller suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in the Vikings’ Week 8 road win over the Green Bay Packers.
If Cousins and the Vikings part ways, he’ll be the top quarterback available on the 2024 free agent market. And according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, those very Packers are a “sleeper” team in the Cousins sweepstakes:
“My sleeper is Green Bay. Jordan Love doesn’t look like the answer, and while the Packers are as patient as any team in the league, they’re also used to winning. Cousins knows the Packers’ offense because it’s a derivative of Kyle Shanahan’s scheme from their time together in Washington, and Cousins and Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur could work well together.
I recognize this is out of left field and completely different from any way the Packers usually operate. But Love’s “extension” includes a palatable $5.5 million in guaranteed salary in 2024 and nothing thereafter. If they get to the end of this season and decide Love isn’t the guy moving forward, the Packers might not feel like drafting another guy and waiting for him to develop. And even if they do that, Cousins could be the solution in the meantime for a team with a promising young wide receiver group.”
Cousins makes plenty of sense for the Packers, who bolster a quality defense and offensive playmakers in Christian Watson, Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon (also a pending free agent).
The 25-year-old Love has had a tough first year as Green Bay’s starting quarterback, completing just 58.7 percent of his pass attempts for 2,009 yards and 14 touchdowns against 10 interceptions.
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Green Bay hasn’t shown any hints that they’re ready to give up on Love, but Cousins unquestionably gives them a better chance to compete in 2024. Not to mention that Cousins and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur were together in Washington from 2012 to 2013, with the latter serving as the club’s quarterbacks coach.
But it’s also out of character for the Packers’ front office to spend large sums of cash in free agency. A player like Cousins will likely command over $30 million a season, and there’s a good possibility that Green Bay won’t have any interest in paying that much for a QB in his mid-30s.
We’ll just have to wait and see how things play out in the coming months. For now, the Packers’ focus remains on helping Love improve in what has been a challenging year.
