Kirk Cousins. Brett Davis-Imagn Images

There's a new candidate to sign Kirk Cousins

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Mar 31, 2026 9:38 AM ET

Kirk Cousins' days as an NFL starting quarterback might be coming to an end, at least if he wants to play for a contender.

The former Minnesota Vikings star is a free agent after a frustrating two-year stint with the Atlanta Falcons, and with few options to start, he might have to settle for a backup role.

If that's the case, it looks like he would be more than welcome back in the NFC North. Speaking at the annual meetings in Arizona, Green Bay Packers GM Brian Gutekunst admitted that the team might be interested in him as Jordan Love's backup.

Packers could make a run at Kirk Cousins

"Yeah, we’ve discussed a lot of those options," Gutekunst said, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. "Obviously that’s a guy who’s got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league, so we’ve certainly discussed all those kind of things."

Brian Gutekunst on if they've discussed signing Kirk Cousins (familiarity with MLF) to be QB2:

"Yeah, we've discussed a lot of those options. Obviously that's a guy who's got a lot of pelts on the wall in this league, so we've certainly discussed all those kind of things."
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) March 30, 2026

The Packers lost Malik Willis to the Miami Dolphins in free agency. As things stand now, Desmond Ridder and Kyle McCord are Love's backups, and that's not necessarily an ideal situation.

Granted, Cousins' best years are far behind him, but he can still sling the football down the field. In recent years, teams like the San Francisco 49ers and Vikings have shown why having a high-end backup can be the difference between making a run at the division and not making the playoffs at all.

And even though Cousins would definitely want a chance to run an offense of his own, he's running out of options. Still, he'll probably wait until Aaron Rodgers makes his decision before signing with any team, knowing he might serve as insurance for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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