The Minnesota Vikings have gotten off to a horrendous 0-3 start this season, and whispers are growing louder and louder that the team should consider trading quarterback Kirk Cousins before the NFL trade deadline.
Cousins is in the final year of his deal, and the Vikings have gotten no further than the Divisional Round of the playoffs since signing him in 2018.
If things continue to head south, Minnesota could very well decide to blow it all up ahead of the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline, which could ultimate feature a Cousins deal.
Could the Atlanta Falcons get involved in that potential scenario?
NFL RUMORS & NEWS: Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings & Kirk Cousins Updates
The Falcons are rolling rolling with Desmond Ridder under center, and while he hasn’t been great thus far in 2023, he has been good enough to get Atlanta off to a 2-1 start.
However, whether or not Ridder is actually the Falcons’ quarterback of the future is debatable, and even if he is, Cousins would surely provide the club with a better opportunity to win this season.
Atlanta could send a 2024 second-round draft pick and a fourth-rounder to the Vikings in exchange for Cousins, providing Minnesota with the draft capital it would need to help facilitate a rebuild.
NFL RUMORS & NEWS: Atlanta Falcons, Minnesota Vikings & Kirk Cousins Updates
As for the Falcons, because Cousins’ contract expires at the end of this season, the front office would have no obligation to the veteran beyond 2023. That makes Cousins a potentially attractive midseason acquisition for an Atlanta squad that is playing in a very winnable NFC South division.
The Falcons have not made the playoffs since the 2017-18 campaign, when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl before infamously blowing a 28-3 lead over the New England Patriots. Since then, Atlanta has failed to post a winning season. Last year, the Falcons went 7-10.
Whether or not the Vikings decide to move Cousins is anyone’s guess, but if they do, the Falcons could be a darkhorse contender for his services.
