As Vikings cycle through quarterbacks, the case for Kirk Cousins' return grows stronger

The Vikings had postponed their customary Wednesday news conference for the starting quarterback by a day, as they waited until Thursday to announce their second QB change in three weeks. Receiver Justin Jefferson, who normally speaks to reporters on Thursdays, was made available on Wednesday instead.

If the schedule change was a subtle reminder of the QB uncertainty that has defined the Vikings' season, Jefferson sounded almost wistful for the consistency he'd enjoyed with Kirk Cousins.

"People don't see what goes on in the building. They don't see the relationships that go on. They don't see the connection that goes on," Jefferson said. "Me and Kirk have a great connection, even when he's not throwing the ball. It's great to have him around the building, being himself and being the leader that he is. But it's definitely tough without him being [on the field]. His leadership, his knowledge of the game, his awareness is definitely a piece missing, just not having that main piece out there on the table."

Cousins' absence, and the Vikings' inability to find their moorings without him, has defined a season where the team has used more starting quarterbacks than any in franchise history. It might also affect how the Vikings approach an offseason where they'll face some of the most critical decisions of General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell's time together.

The Vikings opted to let Cousins play out his contract in 2023, adding two void years to his deal once the two sides were unable to agree on a long-term deal. Multiple sources have said the sides reached an impasse on the guarantee structure of a deal; Cousins sought guaranteed money in 2025, while the Vikings were only willing to offer guarantees through the 2024 season. The team and the quarterback agreed to revisit his future after the season, possibly once a second year in O'Connell's offense lent further clarity to his value.

While the Vikings spent time scouting top 2024 QB prospects like USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye, Cousins put together a first half that suggested he could remain in their plans. At the time of his Oct. 29 Achilles injury in Green Bay, he was tied for the NFL lead in touchdown passes (18), second in passing yards (2,331), third in passer rating (103.8) and fifth in completion percentage (69.5), while directing the offense through a three-game win streak without an injured Jefferson. The day of Cousins' surgery on Nov. 1, Adofo-Mensah was as open as ever to keeping the quarterback in 2024.

"We expected in Year 2 for him to take that step. I think Kevin and I have said that in the past," Adofo-Mensah said. "So, seeing it happen was just more our expectation of a good player getting more comfortable in the system and taking ownership of it. He actually said it himself. It's understanding why Kevin game plans the way he does and his process and different things. So really unfortunate it happened, but again, all options are open as they were before the injury."

Cousins has remained close to the team in his rehab, spending his mornings at the Vikings' facility before afternoon and evening sessions with his bodywork specialist Chad Cook. He will continue to work with team surgeon Chris Coetzee on his rehab, even into the offseason. When Jefferson prepared to enter the tunnel on Dec. 24 for his first home game since his hamstring injury, there was Cousins, acting as his hype man while holding the gigantic boom box that lives in the Vikings' locker room.

The relationship between the quarterback and team, by all accounts, appears as warm as it's been in years. Cousins has continued to say he wants to remain in Minnesota, and there figure to be discussions about a deal around the NFL combine at the beginning of March.

Before that, the Vikings will sit down to strategize over a quarterback decision they've long known was imminent. Adofo-Mensah will have to establish a right of way between the wants and wishes of the organization's most prominent people and emerge with a plan for both 2024 and beyond.

The Vikings' work on this year's quarterback class followed a 2023 draft where they explored moving up for one of the draft's top three quarterbacks: Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson. The reasons for the team's exploration of young QBs are obvious: The Vikings could pair a franchise-caliber passer with Jefferson for the rest of the decade while enjoying five years of cost control from a QB on a rookie deal at the same time they have to pay Jefferson. They would currently have the 15th pick in the first round but are tied with six other teams at 7-8. If they ended up picking in the top 10 for the first time since 2014, it's tough to imagine them not pursuing a young quarterback.

Their post-Cousins turmoil at the position, though, has suggested it might not be so easy to find quarterbacks who can operate O'Connell's offense with the level of detail and command that the 12-year veteran has.

"I really think it goes to show the rest of the world the type of player Kirk is," Jefferson said after the Vikings' loss to the Lions on Sunday. "At the end of the day, this is a tough league. Not everybody is meant for this job, you know?"

And while Jefferson demurred on Wednesday when asked if the Vikings' QB situation would affect his willingness to sign an extension — "That's a question for later on down the line," he said — the receiver has made his support for Cousins clear in recent weeks.

"I feel like I really don't have to voice my opinion that much," he said. "You can just look at the stats and the play, especially before he went down this year. But I definitely will always give that extra word or two for Kirko."

By the time Cousins' agent, Mike McCartney, meets with teams at the combine, he'll likely be able to show teams video of Cousins running as part of his rehab to assuage whatever concerns exist about his Achilles. His play in 2023 could create a market for Cousins if he hits free agency for the second time in his career. It could be difficult for the Vikings to accommodate the $40 million-per-season average that's become standard for quarterbacks since Cousins signed his last deal, especially if they plan to make Jefferson the league's highest-paid receiver at more than $30 million a year. Cousins has customarily sought market-rate deals; it remains to be seen if he'd take a different approach to return to Minnesota after his Achilles injury, or if the Vikings would require one.

With Cousins now less than three months from free agency, another deal between the Vikings and him could depend on trust, in matters ranging from contract length and term to the quarterback's health and the possible presence of a rookie in the QB room. But if Cousins' play in the season's first half helped make his case for a return, his absence in the second half might have done so just as effectively.

"I'm always blessed, just accepting of the person he was for me, the player he was for me and this team," Jefferson said. "Just by being that leader, being that captain, controlling where the ball goes and making great throws. I think the rest of the world definitely realizes that at this very moment."