The Minnesota Vikings: NFL’s Best Experts in Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

If you’d walked into the TCO Performance Center recently, you’d feel it—something’s changed with the Minnesota Vikings. There’s a renewed energy, and it all centers around rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy. The team looks fired up, ready to charge through walls and finish what they started after last year’s 14-3 run that ended with a Wild Card loss.

Meanwhile, down in Georgia, things look very different.

Kirk Cousins, now a $27.5 million backup, is left wondering how it came to this. Once the face of a franchise, he’s now watching from the sidelines, possibly questioning why no other team sees him as a starter. There are plenty of theories about how he ended up here—but in the end, this is a situation of his own making.

Cousins has famously embraced his inner Creed fan—nothing wrong with belting out “Higher” with a few beers in hand. But the more fitting anthem for him might be “My Own Prison,” where Scott Stapp sings of choices that built the walls around him. Cousins’ career decisions have earned him a staggering $331.6 million, but they’ve also landed him in quarterback limbo, behind rookie Michael Penix Jr. and stuck in what fans have dubbed the “Kellen Mond Memorial Doghouse.”

It all started when Cousins, growing weary of the Vikings’ year-to-year approach, decided to move on. Minnesota had drafted his eventual successor, and the Falcons offered $180 million over four years—hard to turn down. Still, had he stayed, he could have been the unquestioned starter if McCarthy were injured, and might have earned a big payday anyway after proving himself one more time.

But his salary demands would have blocked the Vikings from signing key free agents like Aaron Jones, Jonathan Greenard, and others who helped shape their 14-win season. So, while he might have stayed in a familiar offense with top-tier weapons, the cost would’ve been high—for both sides.

In Atlanta, things were never quite right. Learning a new system, building chemistry with unfamiliar receivers, and adjusting to a new environment threw Cousins off. He’s a comfort-first quarterback—this is the guy who once blamed his center’s sweat for a bad grip—and he never found his footing.

Then came the Penix shocker. Despite giving Cousins a massive contract, the Falcons drafted his replacement eighth overall. He played the season with one eye over his shoulder, and eventually injuries took him off the field.

This offseason could have been his escape—but no team wanted to take on the financial burden of his massive deal, especially with $52.5 million still owed. Pittsburgh might have been his shot, but Aaron Rodgers closed that door. Cap-strapped teams like the Browns or Saints seem unlikely destinations.

Now Cousins finds himself stuck in Atlanta, watching and waiting. Sure, Penix could get injured and open the door to a redemption arc, but the reality is this: he had a path to control his future—and he chose the money. Vikings fans are thrilled with how it worked out. For Cousins, though, he’s finally in a position he can’t negotiate his way out of.