Kirk Cousins has started potential free agency rumors already after commenting in support of legendary head coach Bill Belichick. The Minnesota Vikings QB will hit free agency in 2024, and his future remains uncertain.
After speaking about his admiration for Belichick in a recent interview, could a Cousins/Belichick tandem happen in 2024?
What Did Kirk Cousins Say About Bill Belichick?
An impending free agent, the 2023 season did not go as planned for Cousins. He suffered a torn Achilles after eight games, abruptly ending his season.
With his contract expiring this year, there has already been a debate over whether Cousins will stay in Minnesota or depart for greener pastures.
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Cousins let the public into his thought process in a recent interview with Isabel Gonzales from CBS Sports, where attention turned to his thoughts on Belichick.
Belichick left the New England Patriots by “mutual consent” after a disappointing couple of seasons in New England. However, Cousins still has tremendous faith in the future Hall of Fame head coach and didn’t rule out playing for him in the future.
“I have great respect for him as a coach like everyone else in pro football,” Cousins said. “When you go to that many Super Bowls, win that many Super Bowls, go to that many conference championship games, and have the defensive production he’s had for years and years, it says it all.”
The last time Cousins and Belichick met was in Week 12 of the 2022 season when the Vikings beat the Patriots 33-26. “We played them last year on Thanksgiving night, and once again, I noticed several times what he did coverage-wise was challenging and different,” Cousins said.
Belichick’s defense is notoriously innovative and complex for quarterbacks to diagnose. “You always know when you play him, you’re looking over your shoulder. Wondering if everything you’re seeing is correct,” Cousins continued.
“You know he’s going to break the mold and do something different, and that’s part of what’s made him a great coach.”
Does What Cousins Said Matter?
Cousins’ opinions of Belichick are important as the head coach is looking for a new team since leaving the Patriots after 24 seasons. Meanwhile, Cousins is in the last year of his contract with the Vikings, meaning he is an impending free agent at the end of the league year.
The QB was open about the possibility of playing under Belichick in the interview. “I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach. But, we’ll have to see where March leads. There’s a lot of unknowns right now,” Cousin revealed.
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If Cousins and Belichick are to land together in 2024, it increasingly looks like it will be with the Atlanta Falcons. Belichick has a second interview scheduled with Atlanta in which owner Arthur Blank, as well as the entire Falcons leadership group, will be present.
Whoever takes over the Falcons in 2024 has a major problem to solve at the QB position. The Desmond Ridder experiment didn’t work out in 2023, and Atlanta will need to get aggressive in their pursuit of a signal-caller for the 2024 season.
We are yet to see if Cousins will remain with Minnesota for the 2024 season, but he will need to be offered a new contract if he is to remain under center for the Vikings.
If Belichick ends up with Atlanta, there is every chance a move for Cousins could be in play. The Falcons leadership believes they are ready to make a push now, with Falcons CEO Rich McKay saying “We need results sooner rather than later.”
That sounds like the starting gun in the race for a veteran QB. Could it be Cousins?
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