Former Vikings QB Kirk Cousins Expected to Start for New Team in 2025

The days of quarterback Kirk Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings seem long ago considering all that has happened for both the franchise and its former starter in the interim, though that relationship ended just a season and a half ago.

Minnesota has started four different QBs since Cousins tore his Achilles tendon against the Green Bay Packers in October 2023 — Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall and Sam Darnold. Darnold had a Pro-Bowl season in 2024 and is now a $100 million starter with the Seattle Seahawks. Dobbs was a backup for the San Francisco 49ers and is now with the New England Patriots. Mullens inked a two-year deal this offseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Hall is not currently on an NFL roster.

The Vikings added Daniel Jones in the middle of 2024 after the New York Giants cut him, though Jones moved on this offseason to compete with Anthony Richardson for a starting job with the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, Minnesota brought back Brett Rypien in a potential QB3 role for the 2025 campaign and traded with the aforementioned Seahawks to acquire Sam Howell as the prospective QB2 behind second-year signal caller J.J. McCarthy.

McCarthy missed his rookie year after the Vikings selected him No. 10 in the 2024 draft. Minnesota is making a significant bet on him being able to lead a 14-win team from last season with a Super Bowl-caliber roster back to the top of the NFC.

Cousins, meanwhile, inked a $180 million contract with the Atlanta Falcons ahead of last season. He went 7-7 before the team benched him for rookie Michael Penix Jr late in the year. The Falcons are now looking to trade Cousins, who will turn 37 in August and may still have a final act elsewhere in the league.

NFL Realities Point to Likelihood of Kirk Cousins Getting Starting Shot Somewhere This Season

Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com wrote on Thursday, June 19, that he expects Cousins will start for a new team at some point during the 2025 campaign.

It’s so difficult to navigate an NFL season, and it’s a safe bet that some hopeful team eventually will need quarterback help because of injury. [Dak] Prescott was one of four different signal-callers who didn’t finish last season because of injury. Two years ago, the [Cleveland] Browns started five quarterbacks, while the Vikings and [New York] Jets each started four.

It’s a fact of life: Quarterbacks go down in this league. This is why Cousins has a decent shot of playing some place this year. It didn’t work out in Atlanta — the Falcons gave him $100 million in guaranteed money as a free agent last offseason and then gave his job to rookie Michael Penix Jr. for the final three games — but the franchise didn’t deal Cousins over the past few months. That leaves him trying to play the good soldier as a backup until a viable opportunity arises. If history tells us anything, some team will come calling for him sooner or later.

Vikings Could End up in Need of Kirk Cousins at Some Point This Season

That team could potentially even by the Vikings, depending on McCarthy’s health and whether he struggles through the first month of the season.

Minnesota flirted with the idea of signing Aaron Rodgers this offseason, though ultimately decided against it. However, the Vikings’ roster is one of the more talented across the league on both sides of the football. With good quarterback play, a Super Bowl window might already be open. As such, if McCarthy struggles or gets hurt, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Minnesota search the trade and/or free-agent markets for another option.

That said, the greater likelihood is that Cousins will end up starting for a new franchise, should he find an opportunity to start in 2025. The Falcons are obviously unlikely to be that team, considering their decision to move Penix up to QB1 last year, while the Washington Commanders — who drafted Cousins in 2012 — are set with second-year signal caller Jayden Daniels.