Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is face-to-face with his football mortality this offseason.
Turning 36 before the start of the 2024 season, Cousins, an impending free agent, could be signing his last contract as a player in the NFL this offseason. Ahead of free agency, Cousins emphasized that it’s not all about the money but “what the dollars represent.” He wants to be well-respected for his level of play as a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.
However, there’s something that commands more respect than salary: a Super Bowl ring.
While the conversation has largely been whether Cousins would take a team-friendly deal to stay in Minnesota, where he’s won just one playoff game in six years, who is to say he wouldn’t do the same to join a roster that is built to win now?
No roster rivals that of the San Francisco 49ers, and head coach Kyle Shanahan’s love affair with Cousins is well-documented.
In his his bold predictions for the 2024 season, Sports Illustrated’s Connor Orr sees Cousins signing a two-year deal with the 49ers as a possibility after Shanahan openly acknowledge he was willing to put Brock Purdy on the back burner for Tom Brady.
“Kyle Shanahan was really smart these past two weeks in making one talking point clear: He felt that signing Tom Brady and stashing Brock Purdy to the side was a benefit to Purdy and an investment,” Orr wrote on February 12.
“Could he be able to make the same claim about Cousins who, while less successful, does carry a certain amount of gravitas? Shanahan wants fast processors who don’t miss throws. His affinity for Cousins is known. If the 49ers plan on running it back, it makes sense to bolster the QB room.”
49ers, Kirk Cousins Are on a Different Timeline Than Vikings
The year is 2020. The Cousins-led Vikings are coming off an emphatic overtime walk-off victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC wild-card round.
The win secured Rick Spielman, Mike Zimmer and Cousins contract extensions a few months later as the bet on plugging Cousins into a roster that made the 2018 NFC championship seemed like the right play.
However, the following week, the Vikings were dominated by the 49ers in a 27-10 season-ending loss in the divisional round. The 49ers have been at the heart of most Super Bowl contender conversations since then. Meanwhile, the Vikings roster has atrophied.
Shanahan has seemingly only been a quarterback to get his team over the hill. Purdy has filled in well after San Francisco whiffed with their gamble of three first-round picks to draft Trey Lance.
But in October, Cousins outdueled Purdy, throwing for 378 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Vikings offense to 452 total yards in a 22-17 win. The Vikings stopped the 49ers’ vaunted running game and made Purdy look mortal, forcing two interceptions from the young quarterback.
Considering Shanahan was “in mourning” over not landing Cousins during his 2018 free agency, watching the one that got away beat his 49ers likely stirred some emotions in Shanahan.
The Vikings rode the high of their win over the 49ers into a five-game winning streak, which included two wins with Joshua Dobbs at quarterback before losing six of their final seven games.
Meanwhile, the 49ers are a team that has been resilient throughout constant questions at quarterback, making four NFC championship game appearances in the past five seasons with three different quarterbacks.
San Francisco is a team more prepared to win now, and so is Cousins.
Kirk Cousins Could Fit the Tom Brady Mold Kyle Shanahan Envisioned
Shanahan isn’t a fan of Purdy, but Purdy is only 24 years old. There’s plenty for Purdy to learn behind a veteran quarterback, but their timeline is closing after a second Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs since that 2019 season.
“I actually thought it was giving Brock the biggest compliment,” Shanahan said regarding his desire to bring in Brady, per CBS Sports. “I let him know he’s our guy long-term. No question. And if Tom Brady wanted to come here and start for one year, that’s the only way you’re not starting when you’re healthy this year. That’s pretty cool. I wanted to assure him, ‘Don’t worry. You’re our guy. But how cool would it be if Tom Brady would be the quarterback here for one season? How cool would it be for you to learn from him?’”
Cousins is cut from the same cloth as Brady; a Day 3 draft pick and pocket passer whose accuracy, work ethic and study habits are what gave him staying power in the NFL. It’s fair to say Cousins could fit a similar mentor mold for Purdy that Shanahan envisioned.
Netflix’s “Quarterback” docuseries revealed Cousins’ trophy shelf in his house, which is devoid of what matters most to his career — a Lombardi Trophy. If he’s inclined to take a smaller contract to fill that shelf, it’s unrealistic to not think he’d be curious about finally making San Francisco a reality after years of speculation.
