Vikings' Kirk Cousins linked with NFC South club amid uncertainty

Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins seemingly wants to re-sign with the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent this offseason but continues to be linked with the Atlanta Falcons amid that club's interest in former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.

For a piece published Wednesday morning, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN explained he recently spoke with "NFL team executives, scouts and personnel figures" for predictions regarding several offseason stories. Fowler revealed that the "buzz" around the league is that both Belichick and Cousins could soon call Atlanta home. 

"The feeling out of New England was that Belichick planned to target an established veteran quarterback for the Patriots in 2024," Fowler said. "If he gets the Atlanta job, as some expect, he can follow a similar blueprint." 

Cousins mentioned last week that he is "not gonna turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach," but Josh Kendall of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that "Belichick’s candidacy for the Falcons' head coaching job has cooled in the past week." 

Assuming Atlanta ultimately hires the 71-year-old, Fowler noted that the Falcons "offer several high-end skill players on offense and an improving defense" that could attract the attention of Cousins, a 35-year-old who possesses a 1-4 record across five career playoff starts. 

"[Belichick] can help a talented yet underachieving team, and Atlanta is that," an AFC executive told Fowler. "Cousins would be a great fit there."

The Falcons have also been named as a potential landing spot for Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, but the Bucs can retain Mayfield's rights for 2024 via the franchise tag. 

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network pointed out this past November that Cousins cannot be franchise-tagged before he hits the open market, so the four-time Pro Bowl selection could spark quite a bidding war between the Vikings and Falcons even if Belichick remains a free agent through the winter.