Schefter fuels Vikings-Kirk Cousins reunion buzz with trade report

As if the rumor mill buzzing with Aaron Rodgers and J.J. McCarthy speculation hasn't been enough this offseason, the NFL is entering another level with Kirk Cousins-Minnesota Vikings talk ahead of this week's NFL draft.

It's all thanks to ESPN's Adam Schefter, who mentioned the Vikings and Pittsburgh Steelers when discussing the Atlanta Falcons and Cousins' future. Funny, the Vikings and Steelers are also the teams most commonly connected to Rodgers.

That could be noteworthy, but in this instance, Schefter is talking about teams that could trade for Cousins, adding the Falcons are allegedly asking trade partners to pay $20 million of the $45 million in guaranteed money left on his contract.

"There is a feeling around the league that a team, whether it is the Vikings or Steelers, might be willing to pay down roughly $10 million," Schefter wrote on Monday. "How much any team would be willing to pay also would influence the compensation it gives up. The higher the payment, the lower the draft compensation; the lower the payment, the higher the draft compensation. The Falcons and Cousins, who has a no-trade clause, recognize their future is not together, and how it will play out could very well be influenced by this draft."

Funny, Rodgers went on national TV last week and said he's willing to play for $10 million.

Coincidence? It's getting a bit conspiracy theory-ish in here, but so it goes when dealing with the NFL, Rodgers, Cousins and a Vikings leadership team that hasn't publicly ruled out Rodgers and hasn't told McCarthy, who hasn't taken a regular-season snap in the NFL and is coming off a knee surgery that required a biologic injection months later, that he's QB1.

All of this is happening while the Vikings' Super Bowl window is wide open, and they did everything possible in free agency to strengthen the glaring weaknesses on the offensive and defensive lines that resulted in their 14-win season in 2024 ending without a playoff victory.

Are the Vikings interested in paying $10 million and whatever Cousins would command on a new contract to come in and start ahead of McCarthy? Would they pay down some of his guaranteed money and give up draft compensation to have Cousins mentor McCarthy and be the backup?

If they are actually entertaining the idea of bringing Cousins back and giving him a chance to win the starting job, why not go the cheaper route and give Rodgers $10 million to play without giving up draft compensation?

What's actually happening behind closed doors at TCO Performance Center in Eagan, Minn.?