Like pretty much every offseason in the Vikings universe, this one has been filled with quarterback rumors and debates. At first, Sam Darnold was suggested as the team’s future signal-caller, and once the club opted to go with J.J. McCarthy over the 2024 Pro Bowler, reporters reverted back to a pair of old friends: Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins.

ESPN Recycles Dumb Vikings Trade Idea

Rodgers to Minnesota was brought up by a couple of media members almost daily, and they tried to single-handedly keep the rumor alive. Annoyingly, the future Hall of Famer has yet to make a call on his 2025 destination.

Fellow veteran Cousins is still stuck in Atlanta behind Michael Penix Jr. In his second year under contract in the NFC South, he desperately needs a fresh start elsewhere, but the Falcons have played hardball, and nobody wants to pay draft compensation and the salary for the aging passer after a season that ended with him on the bench rather than starting.

The Falcons could still trade him to a QB-needy team. For some reason, folks think the Vikings are one of those. Well, J.J. McCarthy never appearing in an NFL game before is a reason, but that’s not unique by any means. All young quarterbacks start with zero NFL reps at some point. When the Vikings acquired a backup, it was expected that those ideas would disappear. But they didn’t.

So here we are in June of 2025, and Mr. Cousins is back in Minnesota’s news.

ESPN came up with some trade suggestions for players on the trade block. While they didn’t offer any suggestions for Jalen Ramsey to Minnesota, analysts Dan Graziano and Seth Walder had proposals that would send Cousins to his old team.

According to Graziano, Cousins would cost the purple franchise a fifth and a seventh-rounder.

 

He wrote: “Well, it makes sense for all three sides, really, counting Cousins himself. He wants a chance to start and could use his no-trade clause to nix a deal to any place he doesn’t want to go. But if he has to be a backup, we know he 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. In this scenario, the Vikings would agree to pay $10 million of the guaranteed money on Cousins’ contract for 2025.”

Walder’s idea: The Vikings send Sam Howell to Atlanta in exchange for Cousins.

His explanation: “The key to the compensation for a Cousins deal is how much of his guaranteed money the acquiring team will take on. I’ll raise Dan’s offer and say the Vikings pay $12 million of it. This would allow Atlanta to save a little face and get out of the situation with a different backup quarterback. For Minnesota, the upgrade at backup QB is more important because of the McCarthy situation. Cousins will have to accept a lesser role with his old team, but at least he’d be reunited with coach Kevin O’Connell.”

Walder appeared in Vikings news earlier this offseason when he was highly critical of the Donovan Jackson selection.

Minnesota acquired Howell in the draft for the minimal price of a day-three pick swap. They didn’t hire any experienced passers who might really threaten McCarthy’s status as QB1. Cousins is a polarizing player. By bringing him in, the franchise would create a QB controversy.

And then there’s the Cousins angle. He has a no-trade clause, and the move to Minnesota would be a lateral move. He’d still be the backup for a sophomore passer, and it’s not like Penix Jr. doesn’t have an injury history that makes the Falcons’ reserve spot just as intriguing as Minnesota’s.

And then we haven’t talked about any financial aspects. Cousins is under contract for three more seasons and has some hefty guarantees coming up beyond the 2025 campaign.

Under no circumstances does the trade make sense, and it should disappear. Unfortunately, the offseason will continue for a few more weeks, and so will the Cousins talk until his situation is resolved.

Better destinations for Minnesota’s long-time passer are the New Orleans Saints, the Pittsburgh Steelers, or the Cleveland Browns.

The Vikings are J.J. McCarthy’s team, and Sam Howell will back him up.