Russini Confirms: Race for Kirk Cousins Coming Down to Vikings vs Falcons

Kirk Cousins has been the quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings since the 2018 season and the ride has been that of a rollercoaster. Still, there’s no doubt he’s put himself in a class with only a few other QBs in franchise history, during those six seasons in purple.

But all that is in danger of being over. Cousins is due to become a free agent on March 13 and the Vikings’ front office has made it clear that this isn’t a Lowe’s store. There will be no price-match guarantee on their offer. It appears they’ve set a price they are willing to pay for Kirk and, thus far, they have not been willing to budge on that self-induced spending limit.

And that’s where the Atlanta Falcons have been able to slide into the picture. I don’t know if you’ve heard but Julie Cousins, Kirk’s wife, is from the area and both have family members within driving distance from downtown Atlanta. But as of now, they seem to want Kirk more than the Vikings too.

Atlanta Falcons still want Kirk Cousins

We’ve already heard from a local Atlanta sports reporter that Falcons owner Arthur Blank has pretty much demanded the Falcons front office do whatever it takes to land Cousins. Meanwhile, the Vikings continue to drag their feet. They have lots of nice words but little action.

All eyes, all arrows, everything is pointed toward Kirk Cousins. Arthur Blank has basically told his front office staff, ‘Do what you gotta do. Pay what you gotta pay. Get this done.’ 

Local ABC (WSB Ch. 2) sports reporter Zach Klein

Race for Cousins down to Minnesota Vikings and Falcons

As always, general manager Kwesi Adofo Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell want everybody to know how much they love Kirk and want to have him back. But as has been the case all offseason, their offers don’t appear to match their words and the Falcons are coming in hot, according to Dianna Russini (The Athletic).

The question remains how high Minnesota is willing to go to keep the quarterback that coach Kevin O’Connell clearly wants back running his offense.

Over the next month, I’m keeping an eye on the Falcons. They believe Cousins is the type of player who moves them from a fringe playoff team to a contender. New Atlanta head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson both have familiarity with Cousins. Knowing this could be a seamless transition for Cousins and the talented young group of players across their roster, I expect the Falcons to compete for the rights to his contract. It makes all the sense in the world.

Dianna Russini – The Athletic

Don’t hand the keys to Kirk’s heart to the Blank family just yet, though. While it appears Atlanta may be a worthy foe, in this bidding war for Cousins, Russini isn’t ready to call the race for the Falcons just yet. And they aren’t ready to claim victory yet, either. Which is why they even have a Baker Mayfield backup plan.

Related: Florio: Vikings Confident Kirk Cousins Can’t Find Greener Grass Outside Minnesota

A consolation prize for Atlanta? How about Mayfield? I expect the Falcons to try to sign him if they miss out on Cousins or if Tampa Bay can’t get a deal done with Mayfield.

Dianna Russini – The Athletic

We still don’t know where Kirk Cousins’ offseason story ends, at this point, but with only ten days remaining until the deadline of March 12, it’s looking more and more like a two-team race between the Minnesota Vikings and Atlanta Falcons.