Carson Wentz won the hearts of plenty of Vikings fans by leading Minnesota on a game-winning drive over the Cleveland Browns in London on Sunday. Those fans should ask Eagles fans who witnessed the end of Wentz's tenure in Philadelphia about what lies ahead of them at the quarterback position.
In other words, the Vikings front office needs to move quickly if they want to reinforce the quarterback position before Wentz turns into a pumpkin. The long-term plan in Minnesota remains putting J.J. McCarthy back under center once he recovers from his troubling ankle injury. But that injury, coupled with McCarthy's uneven play this year, might lead Minnesota to push the young signal-caller's return to the starting lineup to the 2026 season.
Trusting Wentz to pilot the team to a playoff berth is more of a wish than a plan. That's why the Vikings should make one of the most surprising transactions of the season to chart a new short-term course at quarterback. That's right: It's time for Minnesota to reacquire Kirk Cousins to save their season.
Kirk Cousins trade may be Vikings' only solution to Carson Wentz dilemma
The Falcons would be more than happy to offload Cousins after the emergence of Michael Penix Jr. as their signal-caller of the present and future. The small fortune Cousins is still owed in salary also should make Atlanta anxious to trade him even without receiving much in return. The Vikings should be able to bring Cousins back to town without giving up much of anything of value.
Cousins was excellent during his time with the Vikings, but he hasn't been an effective starting quarterback for well over a full year. He's still worth the risk for Minnesota. The idea isn't for them to bring Cousins back as a borderline Pro Bowl solution at the game's most important position; the only bar they need to clear in a trade is for him to give their roster a better chance to win down the stretch than Wentz will.
The presence of Justin Jefferson on the roster also gives Cousins a much better chance to succeed than he enjoyed during his time as Atlanta's starter. A star wideout of Jefferson's caliber can make any quarterback look good. The presence of that kind of star talent should also help smooth over any concerns Cousins might have of making a return to the franchise that let him go.
The idea of the Vikings bringing Cousins back into the fold might seem far-fetched, but it's the kind of savvy trade that could help Minnesota earn a solid playoff seed. Time will tell if the team's front office chooses to protect themselves an ineivtable Wentz collapse by bringing Cousins back to town.