Kirk Cousins’s life has mostly gone behind the curtain since he ruptured his Achilles Oct. 29 in Green Bay, and it’ll probably remain that way until the 2023-24 NFL season ends and he becomes a free agent in March.
The question then will be how many teams need a quarterback to get over the hump and will the Vikings view him as their QB in 2024 or will Josh Dobbs be the apple of Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s eyes?
“Given what’s transpired now with Cousins, both he and the Vikings are much more receptive to a return in 2024,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Wednesday. “That could potentially mean a one-year contract, I’m told.”
Kirk Cousins and the #Vikings are very receptive to a 2024 return. His relationship with HC Kevin O’Connell is a key factor, as is the equity he’s built within the locker room.
🎥: @BleacherReport @brgridiron pic.twitter.com/glvIn3GHFy
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 15, 2023
Cousins is so early in his recovery process that he just got his cast removed this week and he’s still getting around with the help of crutches. Where he’ll be physically by the time 2024 training camp rolls around is anybody’s guess, but Achilles ruptures typically require 9-12 months of recovery and rehab.
If Cousins is on the 9- to 12-month recovery plan and not the Aaron Rodgers plan, that puts his return somewhere between July and October 2024. Cousins won’t have trouble understanding the offense if he signs a one-year deal with the Vikings, but there’s no guarantee he’ll be the same player post-injury and do the Vikings want to go through organized team activities, mandatory minicamp and possible training camp and the start of the regular season without their No. 1 QB?
Those are huge questions yet to be answered, but unless Dobbs convinces the Vikings that he deserves a contract extension (he’s also a free agent in March), Minnesota’s most secure option in 2024 could very well be Cousins because they are unlikely to be picking high enough to land one of the coveted quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
