Kirk Cousins Trade Rumors: Vikings 'Very Open' to Move; Seahawks, Colts Linked

The Minnesota Vikings are under new leadership with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O'Connell now running the show, and the team's offense could see a new signal-caller, too.

"Kirk Cousins is the next QB domino to fall, with the Vikings very open to dealing him, and the Colts and Seahawks are among the possible landing spots," Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported.

The quarterback dominoes certainly have been falling, with the Seattle Seahawks dealing Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos and the Colts sending Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders.

In addition, trade rumors are swirling around Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, with the Carolina Panthers and Seahawks both reportedly interested, per Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network.

As for Cousins, he's been with the Vikings since 2018, when he signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal after four years in Washington. He later signed a two-year, $66 million extension taking him through the 2022 campaign.

Cousins has largely fared well in four years in Minnesota, completing 68.3 percent of his passes for 124 touchdowns (36 interceptions) and 7.7 yards per attempt. He made the Pro Bowl in two of his four seasons and finished fourth in quarterback rating and eighth in Football Outsiders' DVOA (defense-adjusted over average) metric last year.

Team success hasn't come with Cousins' individual accolades, however, with the team missing the playoffs in three of four seasons. Their one lone postseason berth did result in an upset win over the New Orleans Saints in the 2019 NFC Wild Card Round, but the Vikings then fell to the eventual conference champion San Francisco 49ers.

Still, the 33-year-old is a productive and efficient quarterback who would appear to have good years ahead.

The Seahawks and Colts are in the market for a quarterback, and Indianapolis might make more sense for Cousins given that the team has a competitive playoff-caliber roster.

Seattle appears to be in rebuilding mode after a 7-10 season plus the release of linebacker and defensive stalwart Bobby Wagner.

If Minnesota isn't interested in retaining Cousins long-term, then it makes sense to trade him now and get compensation in return. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network did report in February that it didn't appear Cousins was going anywhere:

The Vikings do have the No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 draft and could select a signal-caller like Liberty's Malik Willis, UNC's Sam Howell, Ole Miss' Matt Corral or Pitt's Kenny Pickett. It's certainly possible that they'll need to package that pick and move up for their desired quarterback if need be.

For now, though, Cousins is QB1 as the Vikings set their sets on the impending start of free agency.