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The last time a lot of Vikings fans saw quarterback Kirk Cousins, he was shirtless and trying to rally them before the start of a critical home game against the Packers.
Cousins, who was lost for the season to a torn Achilles in a midseason victory at Lambeau Field, turned out to be a better quarterback than cheerleader. The Vikings were routed by Green Bay and limped to the finish line this season; the Packers, conversely, sprinted to the finish and are one of eight teams (two in the NFC North) left standing this season.
Where does Cousins, a free agent in March, stand now? Was that the last time we will see him at U.S. Bank Stadium as a member of the Vikings?
Those are fascinating questions. After the season ended, Cousins indicated that a reunion with the Vikings was certainly possible. He wants to win, he likes it here and it's not all about money in a potential new deal. Rather: "Structure is probably more important," Cousins told reporters.
If things seemed to be tilting toward Cousins re-signing with the Vikings at that point, this week was a reminder that Cousins is still in fact an impending free agent with possible interests beyond playing in purple — as I talked about on Friday's Daily Delivery podcast.
Early in the 2023 season, when the Vikings stumbled to a 1-4 start even while Cousins was healthy, Atlanta was mentioned as a possible destination for Cousins in a trade. It was easy to connect some dots: the Falcons have talent but lack an established quarterback. Cousins had a no-trade clause, but he and his wife were married in the Atlanta area, where she grew up. It made some sense.
This week, two more bits of information entered the fray to support a theory that Atlanta could now be a free agent destination. First, the Falcons interviewed Bill Belichick to be their head coach. They reportedly have a second interview set with Belichick over the weekend.
If Belichick winds up in Atlanta, logic would dictate the legendary 71-year-old coach would want to win quickly with an established quarterback instead of a rebuild. Cousins is not Tom Brady, but he's not Mac Jones, the young New England quarterback who struggled at the end of Belichick's run there.
Cousins, for his part, gave an interesting interview this week to a CBS Sports reporter.
She asked about his thoughts on Belichick and then followed up with this: "Would you ever play for him if you got a chance?"
Cousins' answer was interesting: "I'm not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach. But we'll have to see where March leads. There's just a lot of unknowns right now."
All of it could be construed as a stock answer, but Cousins certainly could have just said, "We'll have to see where March leads. There's just a lot of unknowns right now."
If nothing else, it was a good reminder that this offseason is going to be different. Cousins is a true free agent, and every kernel of information until he signs here or elsewhere is going to be treated as evidence of his potential decision.
Here are four more things to know today:
- Chip Scoggins was my guest on Friday's podcast to talk about his excellent Chloe Johnson feature as well as another piece he has coming on Sunday.
- The Wolves are the kind of team that can cruise through three quarters against a bad team before laying waste to them, as they did Thursday against Memphis. At 30-11, Minnesota is on pace for 60 wins.
- The Wild's season is on the brink after a 7-3 loss to Tampa Bay and news that Jared Spurgeon is out for the season. I would advocate for a trade deadline sell-off, but the contract structures given out by GM Bill Guerin will make that difficult.
- Don't forget that Tuesday is the day we will find out if Joe Mauer has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He has 84% of the vote on known ballots so far, with 75% being the threshold needed in the end.
