The Chicago Bears finished the 2025 campaign as NFC North champions and have enjoyed a front-row seat as their division rivals dealt with high-level changes to their respective coaching staffs this offseason.
Whether it is a coordinator or a GM, every other member of the division has been forced to fill major vacancies, and that has left one team in particular, the Minnesota Vikings, looking like they could take a significant step in the wrong direction as key decisions in free agency and the draft will now be made by Rob Brzezinski, as he is taking over the front office on an interim basis through April's draft.
With a full-time GM to be hired down the road, the likelihood that Minnesota takes any big swings at the QB position between now and then would seem slim. Conventional wisdom would lead one to believe whoever ultimately takes that role will have to have a say in the team's direction at QB moving forward.
This is what makes Saturday afternoon's news, first reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, that the Falcons are planning to release Kirk Cousins, that much more interesting, as the potential for a reunion there cannot be ruled out.
Kirk Cousins Returning to Minnesota Would Be Dream Scenario for Bears
The Bears' division rival is entering year 3 of the J.J. McCarthy era, and the results haven't been very inspiring, to say the least. After losing his entire rookie season to a knee injury, McCarthy was anything but effective. The former first-round pick finished the season completing just 57.6 percent of his passes for 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions, giving little reason for hope going into 2026.
With this in mind, the Vikings are reportedly on the hunt for a veteran QB this offseason after electing to let Sam Darnold walk after the 2024 campaign, only to watch him lead the Seattle Seahawks to Super Bowl LX. The possibility of a reunion with Cousins had been floated before; the likelihood of such a deal coming to fruition has only increased, as the Vikings wouldn't have to part with any assets to bring the veteran back into the fold.
The difference this time, though, would be that Cousins would be on the wrong side of 38 years old when Week 1 arrives. As ineffective as McCarthy has been thus far, a 38-year-old Cousins isn't going to strike fear into opposing defenses, especially one as adept at forcing turnovers as Chicago was during 2025. In fact, one could argue that Dennis Allen and the entire Bears' defense would welcome the potential to face Cousins twice in 2026.
Many balls need to drop before this becomes more than a possibility. However, the rumblings will only get louder as more and more veteran options come off the board between the start of free agency in March and the league's entry draft in April.
Whether Minnesota likes it or not, Cousins might be its best option at that point.