The Kirk Cousins 2026 Reunion in Minnesota That Almost Was

What can we say that hasn’t already been said about the Kirk Cousins era in the Twin Cities?

Despite putting up numbers that rivaled those of consensus top-10 signal-callers at the time, the Cousins experiment was a failure in the grand scheme. The Vikings wired hundreds of millions of American dollars into his bank account, and their return on investment was a singular playoff win in only two appearances. Maybe that’s not entirely fair to say, as Cousins certainly played a hand in Justin Jefferson’s rise to superstardom, but he wasn’t brought here to make an obviously good wide receiver good – he was brought here to win a championship, and the Vikings never came close.

I’m not the typical guy that’s going to bash on Kirk Cousins, however. Sure, he fell short of expectations and will shoulder most of the blame since he’s the quarterback. Still, one thing is for certain, and it’s that he brought stability to the QB position in Minnesota that we haven’t seen since Daunte Culpeper, even if only for a half-decade. Who knows what could’ve happened in 2023 if he didn’t tear his Achilles? The team was getting red-hot, and Cousins had begun to play out of his mind.

Of course, we’ll never know the answer to that question. As it turns out, we did almost find out what a Vikings team with Kirk Cousins at the helm of it in 2026 would’ve looked like.

Kirk Cousins Had the Vikings on Shortlist of 2026 Suitors

Per Jason La Confora, the Vikings were a finalist in the “2026 Kirk Cousins Sweepstakes,” if you want to call it that.

La Confora explained how close it was to happening. He began, “Despite a star-crossed stint in Atlanta marked by an Achilles injury and a poor scheme fit, Cousins remained a hot commodity as a bridge quarterback.” This checks out, and whether we want to admit it or not, a Kirk Cousins reunion with the Vikings in 2026 would’ve made complete sense. He already knows most of the playbook, has rapport with receivers like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, and of course, is plenty familiar with head coach Kevin O’Connell.

La Confora continued: “According to league sources privy to his 2026 negotiations, Cousins was intent on reuniting with one of the two top offensive minds from his last playoff season in Minnesota: Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell or new Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak.”

One of La Confora’s sources broke down the decision-making process for Kirk Cousins earlier this offseason: “Atlanta, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland didn’t make sense. San Francisco would have been attractive if they were willing to trade Mac Jones so Kirk could reunite with Kyle Shanahan, but that was off the table. Meanwhile, Minnesota favored Kyler Murray due to his age and athleticism.”

Basically, had the Vikings not signed Kyler Murray, Kirk Cousins very well could’ve been in this competition with J.J. McCarthy. Honestly, that’s kinda funny.

The Vikings Chose Kyler Murray Over Kirk Cousins; Why Wouldn’t They?

If I were to ask just about anybody who watches football if they’d rather take Kyler Murray for the veteran minimum or Kirk Cousins for any amount of money over that, they’d probably choose Murray in a heartbeat.

The Vikings signed Kyler Murray for only $1.3 million, and if he starts, he’s potentially on the contract with the best value in the entire league. Where it could start to get murky is if he has a great year (which, to be clear, would be a net-positive), then the Vikings are likely looking at an extension of Murray of at least $45 million per season.

Minnesota smartly decided they will worry about that next offseason, and they’re trying their best to win this year. It’s good to think about the long-term, but sometimes, you’ve just gotta win football games.

Much like the 2023 season, the 2026 season is another Vikings/Kirk Cousins “what could’ve been?”