NFL insiders link Vikings' Kirk Cousins with two NFC teams

The Minnesota Vikings are at least interested in re-signing quarterback and pending free agent Kirk Cousins this offseason. But they could lose him to a conference rival. 

For a piece published Wednesday, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler linked Cousins with the Atlanta Falcons. It was thought in early October that the Falcons could call Minnesota about Cousins' availability before the trade deadline and before he went down with a season-ending torn Achilles on Oct. 29. 

"What coach Arthur Smith does on offense meshes with Cousins' ability to utilize play-action," Fowler explained. "Cousins would find comfort in Atlanta's talented roster of playmakers, similar to what he had in Minnesota. The chance to win is there. And though Cousins will be expensive, he is going on his fifth NFL contract (excluding franchise tags from the Washington days) and will turn 36 in August. A team set to have $36M in cap space in 2024 should be able to handle his potential deal." 

Smith benched 2022 third-round draft pick Desmond Ridder in favor of journeyman backup Taylor Heinicke, but Ridder seemingly could reclaim the job over the final half of the season coming off Atlanta's bye. The 4-6 Falcons next host the New Orleans Saints (5-5) on Nov. 26. 

Meanwhile, Dan Graziano of ESPN mentioned the Green Bay Packers as a "sleeper" team to possibly sign Cousins assuming they're ready to admit that 2020 first-round draft choice Jordan Love isn't their long-term answer at the position. 

"Cousins knows the Packers' offense because it's a derivative of Kyle Shanahan's scheme from their time together in Washington, and Cousins and Green Bay coach Matt LaFleur could work well together," Graziano noted. Graziano added that the contract extension Love signed this past spring "includes a palatable $5.5M in guaranteed salary in 2024 and nothing thereafter." 

According to ESPN stats, Love enters Week 11 ranked 22nd in the NFL among qualified players with a 46.5 adjusted QBR. While he tossed 14 touchdown passes over Green Bay's first nine games, his 10 interceptions are tied for the second-most thrown over the season's first 10 weeks. 

To compare, Cousins is still ranked ninth among qualified signal-callers with a 63.9 adjusted QBR this season. He recorded 18 touchdown passes with five interceptions across fewer than eight complete games before his injury.