With Kirk Cousins Injured, What are the Vikings' Options at Quarterback?
The Vikings' win over the Packers on Sunday didn't feel like a win.
With Minnesota already leading by two scores in the fourth quarter, Kirk Cousins saw pressure and tried to plant his right foot to make a move in the pocket. As he did, his Achilles tendon popped. Just like that, his incredible season — and perhaps his time as the Vikings' quarterback — is over.
Word gets around quickly. Vikings players and coaches tried to remain hopeful after the game, but they knew. They knew they had almost certainly just lost their starting quarterback, their leader, for the remainder of the season. Reporters on the scene noted that the vibe in the locker room wasn't nearly as upbeat or celebratory as it usually is after a win.
Now the Vikings have a decision to make. What do they do at quarterback with Cousins out? They're 4-4 and sitting in a playoff spot after winning their third consecutive game, and their schedule is favorable enough that their postseason hopes don't have to suddenly be dead. Still, it's unclear if there's anyone on the roster or available elsewhere who is good enough to get the Vikings to the playoffs, much less make a run in them.
Rookie Jaren Hall will almost certainly start next week's game against the Falcons. Hall, a fifth-round pick in this year's draft, entered after Cousins' injury, completed three of his four pass attempts, and lost a fumble on a strip sack. He put up big numbers at BYU over the past two seasons and showed some flashes in this year's preseason.
But Hall is also very raw. If the Vikings want to maximize their chances to contend for a playoff spot even without Cousins, he may not be the answer. Veteran backup Nick Mullens, who has 17 career starts, is eligible to come off injured reserve after this upcoming game. Head coach Kevin O'Connell didn't commit to Hall being his quarterback moving forward, citing Mullens' injury status — he's recovering from a back issue — as the reason. The Vikings also have Sean Mannion on their practice squad.
"We will talk internally and get a lot of thoughts and opinions on where we are at," O'Connell said. "I did think Jaren did a nice job. ... I think we have to look at potentially all of the options, including the best possible group around Jaren, knowing that we are going to continue to build a complete offense based upon a lot more than just the quarterback."
What about external options? The Vikings will have to add another quarterback at least until Mullens is healthy. Maybe that's someone like 37-year-old Colt McCoy, who played under O'Connell in Washington and worked out for the Vikings recently. He could come in, pick up the offense pretty quickly, and either serve as Hall's backup or be in the mix to start games.
Other veteran backups who could theoretically be under consideration before Tuesday's trade deadline include Case Keenum (Houston) and Jacoby Brissett (Washington). Maybe Ryan Tannehill? As far as free agents go, Carson Wentz is probably the best option, assuming Matt Ryan remains retired. The biggest possible swing the Vikings could take would be trading for Kyler Murray, but that seems highly unlikely given his contract situation and the picks it would take to acquire him.
There's a lot for O'Connell and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah to ponder. The team's long-term future is the most important thing, but they presumably won't want to just give up on the 2023 season. The Vikings are getting such great play from their defense and their non-QB offensive pieces that they might be able to keep winning games even without their starting quarterback. K.J. Osborn, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison combined for 269 receiving yards on Sunday, and Justin Jefferson is eligible to return in a couple weeks.
In that context, it seems unlikely that the Vikings would pivot to selling and trade Danielle Hunter, who recorded his NFL-leading tenth sack on Sunday. At the same time, some sort of big addition also feels unlikely for a team whose ceiling is suddenly much lower than it was before their trip to Green Bay.
The most sensible move might be to ride with Hall and see what he's capable of doing. If he thrives, he could keep the season afloat be an option to win the job in 2024. If he struggles, the Vikings could turn to Mullens or McCoy or someone else — or just stomach the losses while knowing they're beneficial for draft positioning.
The trade deadline being on Tuesday afternoon makes this quite the quick turnaround for the Vikings' decision-makers. What's the backup plan when your always-durable quarterback gets knocked out for the season? We're about to find out.
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