MARCH 20: SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora echoes the sentiment that Cousins is in position to attend until deep into the spring to make your mind up on his next move. A couple of more QB dominoes may have to fall before his latest NFL contract is in place.
MARCH 17: After attempting to force his way into free agency last offseason, Kirk Cousins finally got his wish last week. Nevertheless, the veteran stays available after the primary wave of signings and remains to be considering all of his options, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Among the finest landing spots would have been Kansas City. The Chiefs needed a starter until Patrick Mahomes completes his recovery from last December’s ACL tear, so Cousins could have had guaranteed playing time on a contending team to start out the 12 months. A successful season under Andy Reid actually would have boosted his stock into 2027.
The Chiefs, nevertheless, traded for Justin Fields to bridge the gap until Mahomes’ return. The Falcons similarly signed Tua Tagovailoa to battle Michael Penix Jr. for a starting job, and the Colts have Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard behind Daniel Jones within the event he cannot get better from his Achilles tear by Week 1. No other team has an injured starter, though Cousins’ history with Sean McVay in Washington could make him a natural fit as Matt Stafford‘s backup in Los Angeles, especially with Gardner Minshew following Mike LaFleur to Arizona.
There are two starting jobs available, Breer notes, in Pittsburgh and Las Vegas. Each teams, though, are expected to go along with different quarterbacks. The Steelers are poised to reunite Aaron Rodgers with recent head coach Mike McCarthy, and Fernando Mendoza has been projected for the Raiders’ No. 1 overall pick because the regular season ended.
Cousins ending up in Pittsburgh would likely only occur if Rodgers retires, and he would probably need to win the job against Will Howard, Mason Rudolph, and potentially a rookie taken in April’s draft.
The Raiders may consider sitting Mendoza in his first 12 months to proceed his development, but quarterbacks drafted within the top-five picks typically start straight away. The reigning Heisman winner can even turn 23 years old as a rookie and seems ready for the NFL after leading Indiana to a national championship. Nevertheless, recent head coach Klint Kubiak was the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach (2019-2020) and offensive coordinator (2021) for the most effective stretches of Cousins’ profession and will see him as a precious mentor and placeholder for Mendoza as he gets his pro footing.
Cousins could also wait, Breer adds. Other teams could have interest in Cousins if their quarterback situations were to suddenly change with an injury. This is able to remind of last 12 months, when Cousins preferred to see how every team’s QB depth chart looked post-draft. But no trade commenced then. With the Falcons having cut the cord following an organizational overhaul, Cousins must have a lower-stakes free agency decision to make in some unspecified time in the future this offseason.