The Athletic’s Jeff Howe and Josh Kendall reported on Jan. 29 that, despite new Atlanta Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski helping Kirk Cousins put forth one of his best seasons and a 2020 playoff win as offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings, Cousins is still expected to be released.
Moreover, if the veteran is available, there will be links for him to return to Minnesota, considering the team needs a veteran QB under center as a nice backup plan if J.J. McCarthy falters.
Nonetheless, former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber suggested that the New York Jets should pursue a specific quarterback this offseason: Cousins.
“Kirk Cousins is a viable starter in this league. And I’m not saying he’s your (the Jets’) future. I’m just saying he’s a viable starter in this league if you cannot find another way to get a quarterback,” Barber said on WFAN on Jan. 31.
Barber indicated that he sees a prospect for an NFL coaching career in Cousins’ future, which is another quality he likes about the 37-year-old veteran.
“The real reason I think Kirk Cousins could be important for the New York Jets is that I see coaching in Kirk Cousins’ future,” Barber added. “He could be this player/coach who isn’t really coaching yet, but is trying to play and help this team win football games. Then, when he decides to retire in two years, Aaron Glenn, if he makes it, has a built-in quarterback coach who could soon become the offensive coordinator of his club.”
J.J. McCarthy to Jets Trade Idea Floated
This Cousins idea isn’t the only one linking the Vikings and the Jets as WFAN’s Evan Roberts floated the idea that the Jets should consider asking Minnesota about McCarthy if the Vikings are open to trading him this offseason.
“While I’m not the biggest J.J. McCarthy fan, I don’t know who is at this point, but he’s a winner,” Roberts said in a video posted by WFAN on Jan. 30. “He won in college, and he’s also young. He’s also not fully damaged goods. You know what I mean? Yes. He hasn’t really gotten the full opportunity.
“So what pick would I trade? I’m not trading one of my ones. I don’t think I need to either. I think a third‑round pick would get it done; I would be very intrigued by that. And again I say that as someone that isn’t even high on J.J. McCarthy, but it goes back to your point of, what are the other options right now [for the Jets]?”
Vikings Urged to Pursue QB to Challenge J.J. McCarthy
This past season, McCarthy had a passer rating of 72.6 with 1,632 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 10 games for the Vikings, per StatMuse.
On the Jan. 20 edition of “Up & Adams,” former Vikings pass-catcher Kyle Rudolph believes that Minnesota need to bring in a quarterback who can compete with McCarthy, which is why the Cousins specualtion does make sense.
“I think they have to bring in a veteran quarterback to compete with J.J. I think it’s a big mistake that they made last year, just handing over the reins and not having a veteran to compete with them,” Rudolph said. “There certainly were a few options, one of which is playing this weekend in the NFC Championship game. Another one, in Daniel Jones, was in the locker room last year.
“I’m a huge fan of and absolutely love his game. And this doesn’t mean that J.J. can’t be your quarterback of the future, but just handing him over a Super Bowl caliber roster and saying, ‘Okay, go for it,’ and not having a veteran that is in that room and competing against them, I ultimately think that you’re not setting him up for success.”
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