15 Quarterback Options For Vikings With Kirk Cousins Gone
After six up-and-down years as the Vikings' starting quarterback, Kirk Cousins is officially gone. He agreed to a four-year, $180 million deal with the Falcons on Monday that comes with $100 million guaranteed. Despite coming off an Achilles tear and approaching his 36th birthday, Cousins got another big payday and will begin a new chapter of his career in Atlanta this year.
It's also the end of an era in Minnesota — and the start of a new one. The Vikings are now firmly in the market to add at least one quarterback this offseason, as Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are the only players they currently have under contract at that position. Whether it's drafting a QB early, signing a veteran, adding someone via trade, or some combination of those options, the Vikings will be busy exploring the contingency plans that they've been preparing for in recent weeks.
Here are 15 quarterback options for Minnesota in 2024.
The Veteran Free Agents
Baker Mayfield, Russell Wilson, and Gardner Minshew are off the market, so the Vikings' options are already dwindling a little bit, but there are still a handful of intriguing names available in free agency. Even if they're planning on drafting a rookie, they'll likely want a veteran who can serve as a bridge QB or at least a capable backup.
Sam Darnold
This is the name that keeps coming up for the Vikings in reports. Darnold, the No. 3 overall pick in 2018, was a total flop with the Jets, but maybe he has a chance to follow in Mayfield's footsteps and turn his career around in the right environment. He posted solid numbers with the Panthers across six games in 2022, then spent last year as a backup under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Darnold turns 27 in June and still theoretically has a portion of the upside that made him a top pick six years ago. If there was ever a good landing spot for him to have a post-hype breakout, it's Minnesota.
Ryan Tannehill
Tannehill, like Cousins, will be 36 this summer. Unlike Cousins, he fell off pretty hard last year. But he has 156 NFL starts under his belt, so he knows how to play quarterback at this level. And although he's fairly immobile at this point in his career, Tannehill can still sling it from the pocket when he's given time. He could be a bounce-back candidate if he lands in Minnesota.
Jacoby Brissett
Brissett is the definition of a solid veteran QB who can hold down a bridge role or be a high-quality backup. He was very efficient on limited reps in Washington last year and put up decent numbers in Cleveland the year before that. There's been buzz that the Patriots want to bring him back, though.
Update: Brissett has signed with New England.
Mason Rudolph
With Wilson joining Kenny Pickett in Pittsburgh, Rudolph presumably will be headed elsewhere this offseason. He came up huge for the Steelers late last season, going 3-0 as a starter with no interceptions to get them into the playoffs, where they fell to the Bills. He turns 29 this summer.
Jameis Winston
This one is probably unlikely, but wouldn't it be fun? Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, had the only 30-TD, 30-INT season in NFL history in 2019. He threw for nearly 20,000 yards in five seasons with the Buccaneers. Since then, he's been a backup with the Saints for four years. He was excellent in a seven-game stretch in 2021 and proved last year that he's still entertaining, throwing two touchdown passes and two picks in relief of an injured Derek Carr in a loss to the Vikings in November.
Others
- Joe Flacco
- Jimmy Garoppolo
- Tyrod Taylor
- Drew Lock
- Josh Dobbs
The Rookies
Projected No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams isn't ending up in Minnesota, but none of the other top quarterback prospects feel completely unattainable. The Vikings have the No. 11 overall pick and could also try trade up for one of these players.
Jayden Daniels
The Heisman winner from LSU is an electrifying playmaker with home run rushing ability and a beautiful deep ball. He's probably going No. 2 to the Commanders or No. 3 to the Patriots, but perhaps there's a world where the Vikings can move up to 3 to get him. It's a long shot.
Drake Maye
People have been poking holes in Maye's game recently. Chris Simms ranked him as his QB6, which is wild. I still think he'll go No. 2 to Washington because of his remarkable physical tools and upside, but who knows? If Daniels goes second and Maye is on the board at 3, would the Vikings make a massive trade offer to New England? The UNC star feels like the perfect fit for Kevin O'Connell's offense. To me, the dream scenario for Minnesota is finding a way to land Maye in April.
J.J. McCarthy
Here's the guy who probably makes the most sense for the Vikings as a realistic target who fits their system and is worth taking a shot on. McCarthy didn't throw the ball a ton at Michigan because their offense was so run-heavy, but he regularly showed off big-time arm talent when he did drop back to pass. He was also extremely efficient on third downs, which is important. McCarthy raved about his interview with the Vikings at the combine. Will he be there at 11? It doesn't feel like that's happening. They may need to jump the Giants at 6 by moving up to the Chargers' No. 5 pick if they really wants McCarthy.
Bo Nix
Nix has been getting first-round buzz, but it would be a surprise if he isn't available at 11. Would taking him there be a major reach? He's coming off two highly productive seasons at Oregon after beginning his college career at Auburn, but he's also 24 years old and played in an offense that kept things pretty simple for him. Although Nix has athleticism and arm talent, the evaluation is more complicated than that.
Michael Penix Jr.
Penix is another tricky evaluation. He lit it up in the Pac-12 over the last couple years, leading Washington to this year's national championship game against Michigan. His left arm is an absolute bazooka. But Penix is 24, has a very long injury history, and comes with questions about his ability to throw over the middle of the field. He could be an option for the Vikings if they want to trade back up into the bottom of the first round, like they did with Teddy Bridgewater in 2014.
Others (Day 3 dart throws)
- Spencer Rattler
- Michael Pratt
- Joe Milton III
- Sam Hartman
- Jordan Travis
The Trade Candidates
If the Vikings want to get creative, they could make some phone calls to see what it would take to add a quarterback via trade. GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has added Mullens and Dobbs that way over the last couple years. The Jaguars recently traded a sixth-round pick to the Patriots to get Mac Jones, so he's not an option.
Justin Fields
Where the heck is Fields going to end up this year? He's an obvious trade candidate with the Bears set to draft Williams, but it's hard to find a logical fit. The Falcons got Cousins, the Bucs kept Mayfield, the Steelers got Wilson, and the Raiders added Minshew. Could Fields go the Giants, or maybe the Broncos? Here's a different idea. It's unlikely, but what if the Vikings made another in-division trade and added Fields? He has a big arm and elite rushing ability, and he just turned 25. O'Connell might have to adapt his offense, but it could be worth taking a shot on Fields' upside.
Sam Howell
The Commanders are also expected to draft a quarterback with a top-two pick this year, so it would make sense for them to consider moving Howell if they can get a decent draft pick back. He started all 17 games for them last season and showed some flashes of arm talent, throwing for nearly 4,000 yards while leading the league in pass attempts, interceptions, and sacks taken. Howell can also run a little bit.
Zach Wilson
Wilson, the No. 2 overall pick in 2021, was another bust for the Jets, who are ready to move on from him this offseason. They probably won't get much in return. For as bad as he's been in New York, is there still a tiny bit of potential that Wilson could turn things around with a change of scenery? Maybe! You could argue that it's worth a seventh-round flier for O'Connell and the Vikings to find out.
The Incumbent Options
These two guys are already on the roster, but might not be realistic candidates to compete for the starting job.
Nick Mullens
The Mullens experience late last season was quite the ride. He stepped in for Dobbs in the win over the Raiders, then went 0-3 as a starter despite proving he could move the offense. Mullens threw for a whopping 1,110 yards (370 per game) and six touchdowns in those three starts against the Bengals and Lions (twice), helping the Vikings score at least 20 points in each game. He also threw eight interceptions, which is the big reason why he's probably limited to being a backup. Still, Mullens' 88.1 career passer rating makes him more proven than someone like Darnold.
Jaren Hall
Hall, a fifth-round pick out of BYU last year, shouldn't be totally written off despite getting benched at halftime in his big opportunity against the Packers. He made a couple nice plays in his debut game against the Falcons. With that said, he could quickly find himself as the Vikings' QB4 if they add a veteran and a rookie this offseason and keep Mullens around.
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