The Minnesota Vikings face myriad questions at the QB position, yet paradoxically have a clear answer as to the hierarchy.
Save for an injury, J.J. McCarthy is going to start in Week 1 and probably remain the starter for several games regardless of performance. If he plays well early and often, McCarthy will have addressed most of the team’s greatest concerns.]
But one thing the Vikings are trying to figure out before trotting out a starter with zero regular-season NFL snaps on his resumé is whether they have a reasonable option to whom they can turn should McCarthy fall short or get hurt.
Sam Howell is at the center of that question, and the answers he has provided early in camp have been less than reassuring, per a report from Alec Lewis of The Athletic.
Howell has taken the majority of the backup QB reps … [and] most of [them] have been against the first-string defense.
The best way to sum up Howell’s performance is a beat too slow. Without the post-practice film, it’s impossible to assess each rep accurately. Is Howell taking a hitch because he’s not seeing the picture correctly, or is he waiting a split second extra because the receiver was rerouted by a cornerback? Whatever the case, it feels fair to say that Howell hasn’t consistently pulled the trigger promptly.
If Howell can’t slow the game down enough in his mind to speed it up adequately on the field, the Vikings will have to turn elsewhere, and the most viable answer is a reunion with Kirk Cousins.
Several Insiders Have Recently Linked Vikings to Reunion With Kirk Cousins
Cousins is the backup in Atlanta behind Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons owe Cousins $27.5 million this season and are reportedly looking to offload him for the right price.
Much of that price is going to include taking on as much off the QB’s 2025 salary as possible. Based on predictions from insiders, Atlanta might be willing to do a deal that includes minimal draft compensation and a team picking up in the neighborhood of $10-$12 million of Cousins’ contract.
“We know [Cousins] liked living in Minnesota and playing for the Vikings. Plus, J.J. McCarthy is still an unknown after his major knee injury, so maybe this could turn into more than just a QB2 destination,” Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote on June 4. “In this scenario, the Vikings would agree to pay $10 million of the guaranteed money on Cousins’ contract for 2025.”
Graziano also suggested the Vikings would send the Falcons sixth- and seventh-round picks as part of the trade.
Kirk Cousins Offers Vikings Best Alternative to Sam Howell
Reuniting with Cousins could cause awkwardness in the QB room, and the Vikings could face pressure from the fanbase to make a premature switch under center if the team hits the halfway point at 4-4 with a loss or two it can hang around McCarthy’s neck.
But a one-year deal for Cousins is far and away the best solution on the market if Minnesota decides a week or two from now that it can’t trust Howell in the event McCarthy stumbles or gets injured again.
Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler who played under head coach Kevin O’Connell for two years and led the team to playoffs once. He already knows the system and retains the arm strength to make all necessary throws.
Lewis noted Brett Rypien hasn’t taken many snaps during the preseason, as the returning QB3 knows the offense better than anyone in the group. Still, if the Vikings were really considering Rypien as a viable No. 2 option in the case that Howell falls short, they would conceivably want to get Rypien more work with the top guys on the offense.
That hasn’t happened. And McCarthy’s potential will remain largely unknown until Minnesota gets into the regular season. All that adds up to the Vikings as prime candidates to make a move under center before it’s too late.
Cousins isn’t a perfect answer, but he’s the best one Minnesota has got.
