Vikings Expected to Add a Veteran QB, Potentially Reuniting With Kirk Cousins

After J.J. McCarthy’s up and down 2025 season, the Vikings are expected to add a veteran quarterback to the roster this offseason.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday that Minnesota is evaluating their options, and plan to bring in a veteran quarterback to create a competition this offseason with McCarthy.

While this tidbit isn’t necessarily a surprising update, some of the names Pelissero listed were. For starters, former Vikings starter Kirk Cousins could reunite with Minnesota after this weekend’s report that the Falcons are expected to cut Cousins before the new league year begins in March. This will leave him available for other NFL teams to pick him up for the 2026 season, including his former team.

Other quarterbacks the Vikings could consider include Mac Jones, who recently shared that he believes he could be an NFL starting quarterback again, Geno Smith and Kyler Murray. All three of these quarterbacks would have to be released or traded to the Vikings in order for them to move to Minnesota, but their options seem plentiful.

Minnesota has seen how adding a veteran quarterback can thrive in the organization. Sam Darnold became the starter in 2024 when McCarthy suffered a season-ending injury in the preseason ahead of his rookie year, and he led the team to a 14–3 record and a playoff appearance. On Sunday, Darnold will start in Super Bowl LX for the Seahawks, where he landed last offseason after the Vikings let him walk in free agency.

Cousins played for the Vikings from 2018 to ’23 before signing a massive four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons, which has turned out to be a total bust for them. After two seasons, a majority of which Cousins spent on the bench behind 2024 draftee Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta is expected to move on from the veteran, even as Penix recovers from a partially torn ACL.

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