MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings took a gamble when they allowed Kirk Cousins to test free agency during the offseason, effectively permitting their quarterback of six years to pack his bags. Cousins sealed the deal, scoring a $180 million deal with the Atlanta Falcons. And a month later, when the 2024 schedule was finalized, if he didn't literally circle Dec. 8 on the calendar, he surely did so in the depths of his mind.
That date falls this Sunday, when Cousins will sprint onto the U.S. Bank Stadium turf, before thousands of purple-doused faithful, not as a representative of the Vikings but as their foe. The luster of the homecoming isn't exactly as anticipated back in the spring, now that Atlanta is a tepid 6-6, fighting to stay alive in the ugly NFC South race. On the other hand, the matchup might matter more than expected.
For just as the Vikings gambled on their breakup, Cousins will take his own gamble in his actual return: that he can save his Falcons career against the team that no longer wanted him.
Wait, what? Didn't Cousins just sign that splashy deal in Atlanta? He sure did. But actions speak louder than words (and surface-level contract numbers), and the Falcons, remember, went just 43 days between paying Cousins and spending a top-10 draft pick on fellow quarterback Michael Penix Jr. It was a widely criticized move at the time, and not without risk of disrupting trust between Cousins and his new club, but it also made total sense: Why throw a single dart at the game's most vital position, and aim it squarely at a 36-year-old coming off a torn Achilles, especially after he'd already proven more solid than spectacular?
Accordingly, with the home stretch of the 2024 season in sight, Cousins' anticipated return to the Midwest no doubt brings intrigue. Will he capitalize on knowledge of Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' oft-unpredictable schemes? Will he feed off the inevitable boos from the frostbitten flocks of fans who watched him lead a single playoff win during a half-decade under center? Yet all storylines, at least for now, are superseded by the bigger-picture reality: Both the Falcons and the Vikings -- Cousins' two most recent NFL employers -- appear wholly justified in their treatment of the quarterback.
Start with the Vikings: Cousins' likable leadership made him something of a local favorite by the time of his exit; if Minnesota was going to disappoint, at least it had a literal Midwestern dad steering the ship. But team brass would've been justified in letting him walk even if his bargain-bin successor, Sam Darnold, hadn't exceeded expectations as Kevin O'Connell's new arm this season. He provided competence, but not stardom. His steadiness warranted applause, but his trajectory -- as an aging, now hurting, signal-caller without a defining big-game resume -- did not warrant a lucrative commitment. It begged, in fact, for an amicable split, allowing the always-scrappy but rarely elite Vikings to finally explore the unknown.
Long term, there are just as many, if not more, questions regarding the future of the Vikings' quarterback situation than there were when Cousins relocated to Flowery Branch: Darnold may or may not stick around after his revival, and first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy has to overcome multiple knee surgeries to even make his first mark. But the Vikings' infrastructure -- the Justin Jefferson-headlined supporting cast, the O'Connell-inspired coaching staff, the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah-led front office -- has proven rock-sturdy enough to weather the transition. At 10-2, forging their way to the postseason for the second time in three years, these Vikings have already cleared their own cautiously optimistic bar.
The Falcons, on the other hand, are in danger of sinking not in spite of their rich investment at quarterback, but because of him. Typically steady, Cousins has been remarkably volatile in his new colors, flashing with a couple of four-touchdown showcases but also flopping with three multi-interception outings, including a four-pick disaster vs. the Chargers that resulted in Atlanta's third straight defeat last Sunday. It wasn't just the numbers that looked sour in his last effort; his lively arm also looked its age, not so unlike the sluggish legs of Aaron Rodgers in New York, another former NFC North star flailing in attempts to meet expectations while simultaneously conquering Father Time. Hence the intensified calls for Penix, whose mere presence as a fresh alternative speaks to Atlanta's foresight.
Dec. 8. It's a date that could determine the future of the Falcons' season, and quarterback plans. Upset the superior Vikings on the road, and maybe, just maybe, Atlanta can still make noise when it matters, with the man it paid to lead the charge. It could also determine the current -- and final? -- chapter of the Kirk Cousins story. No one will dispute Cousins as a businessman when all is said and done, his career earnings well-padded thanks to a spunky start in Washington and a serviceable one in Minnesota.
As a quarterback, though? A franchise quarterback? This may well be his last stand, in the arena he once called home. Is he up to the challenge? Can he fend off his heir apparent with his old cheerleaders clamoring for his swift and sudden defeat? The icy chill of Minneapolis awaits.
