Earlier this season, many felt that the Minnesota Vikings would trade quarterback Kirk Cousins after the team got off to an 0-3 start.

However, the Vikings proceeded to go on a roll and held on to Cousins past the Oct. 31 NFL trade deadline. Not that trading Cousins was ever a realistic scenario anyway.

Unfortunately, Cousins ended up tearing his Achilles in Week 8, knocking him out for the remainder of the season.

The 35-year-old is set to be a free agent in the spring, which has led some to believe that the veteran will be playing his football elsewhere next year.

But Ted Schwerzler of Vikings Territory actually thinks that Minnesota’s current situation under center almost guarantees that Cousins will be back in 2024.

Schwerzler notes that the Vikings, who swung a deal with the Arizona Cardinals for Joshua Dobbs in order to replace Cousins this season, will likely not have a bad enough record to have a shot at one of the top quarterbacks in this year’s NFL Draft.

He also says that even if Minnesota ends up taking a quarterback at some point in the first round, the Vikings’ roster is too talented to insert a rookie as the starter.

As a result, Schwerzler feels that Cousins returning on a one-year deal (or potentially longer) makes plenty of sense for the franchise, particularly considering that its current roster still clearly has some juice left in the tank.

Of course, Cousins’ injury also needs to be taken into account. A torn Achilles is a serious thing, and with Cousins turning 36 before next season, it’s no slam dunk that he will be 100 percent by Week 1 (or if he will ever truly be the same ever again).

Prior to going down, Cousins was in the middle of a spectacular campaign, throwing for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 69.5 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 103.8. He also led the NFL with 291.4 passing yards per game.

Will Cousins be that effective again next season? It remains to be seen, but Schwerzler’s overall point is very sensible: Kirk Cousins may very well be back in Minnesota in 2024.

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