Kirk Cousins spent his Wednesday putting on a new gold grill for his teeth in a hilarious viral photo. But could the Minnesota Vikings free agent quarterback soon put on a San Francisco 49ers uniform? His odds of landing there have changed significantly.
Betting Odds for Kirk Cousins to 49ers Have Moved Dramatically
DraftKings Sportsbook has betting odds posted for Cousins’ 2024 team. Surprisingly, the 49ers’ odds have gotten significantly shorter — going from an opening price of +15000 to just +1800.
🚨 WILD NEXT TEAM ODDS MOVEMENT 🚨
The 49ers now have the seventh-shortest odds to be Kirk Cousins' next team after opening at +15000 🧐 pic.twitter.com/fD1CwQ0oqj
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) February 29, 2024
While that is a massive change — going from 150-1 to 18-1 — the odds still indicate that Cousins appears to be a long shot to sign with San Francisco. Such a dramatic shift, however, is certainly an eye-opening one.
For many NFL fans, including the 49ers faithful, it’s surprising to see Cousins linked to San Francisco as a possible signing. After all, second-year quarterback Brock Purdy delivered a Pro Bowl performance and near Super Bowl 58 win over the Kansas City Chiefs before falling in overtime. And at some point, Purdy will likely be up for his own mega-deal as he gets closer to the end of the rookie contract he signed in 2022.
Yet, there are reasons that point to why Cousins to San Francisco can’t be entirely ruled out.
Cousins Has History With 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan
Cousins’ career began with Kyle Shanahan on his side — the same Shanahan who now leads the Niners and has won two NFC crowns with them.
The former Michigan State passer was initially immersed in Shanahan’s offensive scheme as a 2012 fourth-round draft pick in the nation’s capital. At the time, Shanahan was Washington’s offensive coordinator.
And Cousins showed some early glimpses of what he can do in Shanahan’s zone system. As a rookie, Cousins won his NFL starting debut and threw for 466 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions across four games.
But the young QB struggled in his sophomore campaign. He lost all three of his starts while delivering 854 yards, completing just 52.3% of his throws, and tossing four touchdowns compared to seven interceptions.
From there, Cousins went on to establish himself as a bona fide QB1 and improved each season in D.C. By Year 4, he led the NFL with a 69.8% completion percentage and threw what was at the time a career-best 29 touchdowns.
Since then, Cousins has thrown for 30 or more touchdowns three times in his career — all with the Vikings. He’s also won most of his regular season games in Minnesota, compiling 50 victories.
Now, he’s PFN’s No. 1-ranked free agent QB ahead of the start of the signing period — March 13. And while the 49ers have increased their odds of landing him, the Vikings are the current betting favorite to sign Cousins at -200.
KEEP READING:2024 NFL Top 100 Free Agent Rankings
The Atlanta Falcons, meanwhile, rate as the top threat to siphon Cousins away from re-signing with Minnesota with +300 odds. Still, although a long shot, the chances of Cousins signing with the 49ers are greater than zero.
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