Could Kirk Cousins be a starting QB for another team in 2026?

Kirk Cousins turned back the clock on "Thursday Night Football." The former Minnesota Vikings star may have ended the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season with a 29-28 comeback win on the road.

More importantly, he proved that he still had plenty left in the tank. He completed 30 of 44 passes for 373 yards, three touchdowns and no picks, all while making tight end Kyle Pitts look like the All-Pro talent he seemed destined to be.

At 37 years old, Cousins is not getting any younger, but with the Falcons still committed to Michael Penix Jr., he may have played himself into a starting role somewhere else.

Kirk Cousins should have a strong market in 2026

Cousins carries a massive cap hit of $57.5M in 2026, and he's nearly untradable with that contract. However, the Falcons would save $22.5M in cap space by releasing him.

Should that be the case, several teams should be interested in his services.

We've seen how the Pittsburgh Steelers refuse to go through what seems to be a long-overdue rebuild. They went from Russell Wilson to Aaron Rodgers, and with the latter likely to retire, they might talk themselves into pursuing another veteran reclamation project.

The Vikings could also make sense at the right price. The J.J. McCarthy experiment has been a tough watch, and while there might be something to work with there, he may need some more time on the sidelines.

Shane Steichen and the Indianapolis Colts worked wonders with Daniel Jones. They seem inclined to bring him back after his season-ending injury, yet there are no guarantees that he won't get another big offer somewhere else. 

Maybe even the Las Vegas Raiders could pick up the phone and get him to replace the erratic Geno Smith, provided that Pete Carroll is no longer there, either. 

Cousins could be an intriguing bridge quarterback option for teams on the outside looking in. He doesn't make sense for other quarterback-needy teams like the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets, as they're more than a quarterback away and will probably have to find theirs in the NFL Draft.

While it hasn't always been as pretty as it was Thursday, Cousins has proven to be a serviceable quarterback in the right system and play-action-heavy offenses. He will have three more games to audition for a starting job somewhere else.