Today marks the franchise tag deadline, but plenty of other questions loom around the NFL with free agency only one week away. Kirk Cousins remains the subject of considerable attention and speculation given his status as the top quarterback set to be available on the open market.
Talks with the Vikings are ongoing, but reports from the weekend suggested Minnesota is preparing to at least let the 35-year-old gauge his value with outside suitors. A number of teams would no doubt show passing interest in the four-time Pro Bowler at a minimum, but the Falcons have increasingly emerged at the forefront of a Cousins pursuit. Further developments continue to point in that direction.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes he has received “very credible indications that Cousins is seriously considering moving his family to Atlanta.” While athletes often own real estate in a number of markets, a step such as this would of course point to a deal with the Falcons being agreed upon. Atlanta is well known as being in position to add at the QB spot, and the team may prefer a contract with Cousins to a trade resulting in the acquisition of Georgia native Justin Fields.
The latter’s future with the Bears will of course represent a major domino in the 2024 offseason as it pertains to quarterbacks. Chicago is expected to deal Fields in a move setting the team up for Caleb Williams being selected first overall in April’s draft. The market for Fields will be complicated by the fact the Bears are willing to move on (presuming that decision is the one ultimately made by GM Ryan Poles) as well as the availability of more established options in Cousins and Baker Mayfield.
Cousins’ Achilles tear ended his sixth Vikings season, one in which he posted strong numbers prior to the injury. Minnesota has remained steadfast in terms of public endorsements of a new agreement, although length and the guarantee structure of any new pact will no doubt be sticking points. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reports neither side has set a final price point for negotiations, which can continue through to the start of the legal tampering period (March 11).
The Vikings do not have an obvious Cousins successor on the roster, and the No. 11 draft slot will keep the team out of reach of the best QB prospects barring a sizable trade-up maneuver. Unless an agreement can be worked out in short order, though, the team could very well be tasked with finding a new starter for the first time since 2018. Should Cousins reach free agency, the Falcons will remain a team to watch closely.
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