PFF Thinks Re-Signing Kirk Cousins is 'Best Option' for Vikings in 2024

There are a wide range of opinions regarding what the Vikings should do at the quarterback position this offseason. PFF's Gordon McGuinness is in the camp that thinks Minnesota's best option is to re-sign Kirk Cousins and essentially look to run it back in 2024.

McGuinness recently wrote an article where he chose one free agent for each of the NFL's 32 teams to target — and Cousins was his pick for the Vikings.

Maybe the Vikings will decide it’s time to rebuild, but they only just missed out on the playoffs in 2023 — and that was with Kirk Cousins missing the second half of the season. He has earned a 79.0-plus PFF grade in every season in Minnesota, and while he is unlikely to break into the elite ranks in 2024, he is good enough to get the Vikings back to the playoffs, perhaps even winning the NFC North again. Getting into the postseason with Cousins and hoping for some luck to fall their way feels like the Vikings' best option, considering who else is available at the position and where they pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That last sentence is key. Even if you aren't a big Cousins fan, it's important to acknowledge that there isn't a blatantly obvious alternative to him at this point in time. That doesn't necessarily mean the Vikings should re-sign him, it just helps explain why it's going to be something they seriously consider, depending on the price.

If Cousins ends up elsewhere, what will the Vikings do at QB? Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall aren't legitimate starting options. A Russell Wilson trade doesn't make sense. If Baker Mayfield gets the franchise tag in Tampa Bay, the top non-Cousins free agent QBs are guys like Brissett, Minshew, Rudolph, Flacco, and Tannehill. The Vikings have the 11th pick in a draft where it's possible Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Jayden Daniels will be the first three players off the board. That would leave Michael Penix Jr. and Bo Nix as the options for Minnesota.

Who knows what will happen this offseason; there are all kinds of possibilities for the Vikings. But there's no clear, straightforward path to replacing Cousins and getting better in the short or long-term. That's why some people think the best option for the Vikings, considering the circumstances, is to bring Cousins back and try once more to get into the postseason and make some noise with him at QB.

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