Ex-NFL head coach thinks Vikings are waiting to add 'Kirk Cousins or Aaron Rodgers'

Eric Mangini, the former coach of the Jets and Browns, has an interesting opinion about Minnesota's QB situation.

Sep 15, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) greets Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) on the field following the game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Is speculation that Kirk Cousins could return to the Minnesota Vikings become more than a talker? Is it actually getting serious? If you ask a former NFL head coach, it very well could be.

“Right now the only other quarterback is Brett Rypien on the roster right now. I would imagine they’re going to go and get a backup that they feel could win a bunch of games, should something happen to J.J. McCarthy," former Jets and Browns head coach Eric Mangini said on FS1's First Things First.

"That backup probably is going to need to have some level of experience. I would imagine that's either Kirk Cousins or it's Aaron Rodgers and they're going to go let it play out through the spring and then they'll go find a veteran that they can bring in, and if things go really south they've got someone that they can plug and play and actually win a bunch of games."

“I would imagine they’re going to go and get a backup that they feel could win a bunch of games, should something happen to J.J. McCarthy.”

Coach Mangini thinks the the Vikings might get Kirk Cousins back: pic.twitter.com/zD9QkvZTST

— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) April 15, 2025

When pressed about how crazy it would be for Cousins, and especially Rodgers, to accept a job as McCarthy's backup, Mangini focused on Cousins.

"[Cousins] might be of the mindset of, 'This gives me the best chance to be successful.' And he may come in saying, 'Yeah, I don't want to start,'" Mangini continued. "Internally he feels like he can beat out J.J. McCarthy if he goes back. And if he doesn't, he's in an environment that's great and his money is guaranteed anyway."

No one knows what the Vikings' master plan at quarterback is. Here's what our Will Ragatz wrote about the situation on Tuesday.

So what is the Vikings' plan? We know they're waiting until after the draft to sign any other free agents of note, so that they don't mess with the 2026 compensatory pick formula. Carson Wentz is still out there, and he could make sense after spending the last two seasons as a backup for the Chiefs and Rams. Ryan Tannehill, who shares an agent with McCarthy, is the other free agent QB of note (aside from Aaron Rodgers, who we know isn't viewed as an option for Minnesota).

Maybe it won't be a free agent. There's been buzz from folks like Wolfson and The Athletic's Alec Lewis that a trade for a quarterback could be a possibility. Two names that have been floated are Sam Howell and Aidan O'Connell. Howell, the former Washington starter, is now the likely QB3 in Seattle due to Lock's arrival, so he could be available. Perhaps the Vikings will, at some point, ship out a late-round 2026 draft pick to bring in a quarterback of their choosing.

For now, it's McCarthy and Rypien. But as we keep saying, as long as Cousins and Rodgers are out there, expect the speculation and rumors to continue.