The Minnesota Vikings seem to have made the wrong choice. Last year, they won 14 games with Sam Darnold as their quarterback but let him walk in favor of their first-round pick, J.J. McCarthy, with head coach Kevin O’Connell firmly in the latter’s corner. Eight weeks into the season, the fan base might not be wrong in assuming that the choice was the wrong one, given how Darnold has fared with the Seattle Seahawks.
That is without accounting for backup Daniel Jones, who is enjoying a career renaissance with the Indianapolis Colts. For the Vikings, McCarthy has played in just two games before an ankle sprain, with Carson Wentz taking over the starting role in his absence over the last six weeks.
Unfortunately, the team hasn’t fared well and is now 3-4 after losing to the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football in Week 8. As a result, some believe a potential reunion is the only way out for Minnesota.
Could 1 Trade Fix the Minnesota Vikings?
The two biggest problems for Minnesota this season have been the offensive line and the quarterback play. The former, where the team ranks in the bottom 10 of the league on PFSN’s Offensive Line Impact, is going to be a hard problem to fix, particularly with the injuries all across the unit.
That leaves the quarterback spot, where the pickings get slim. McCarthy, in his two games, threw for just 301 yards and two touchdowns, while costing three interceptions, for a passer rating of 67.2.
Wentz, by that standard, has been better. But not by much. Entering Week 8, he ranked 17th on PFSN’s QB Impact, a number that is sure to get way worse after a 144-yard, one-touchdown, and one-interception performance against Los Angeles.
Next week, McCarthy is likely to return to Minnesota. But with the way things fared in the first two games of the season, it is hard to imagine that he would be a substantial upgrade over what Wentz was giving them in the last five games.
The roster and the weapons on it are clearly elite. Their coach is the reigning Coach of the Year and has a proven track record. So it would be foolish for the franchise to just let this season go to waste. As a result, Pro Football Talk believes the solution is simple.
Bring him home. pic.twitter.com/cBICUDjli5
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) October 24, 2025
Sharing a gif of Kirk Cousins partying in the locker room, the simple caption of “Bring him home” relayed the entire message. Currently serving as the backup to Michael Penix Jr. on the Atlanta Falcons, a trade could become available in the coming weeks for the veteran quarterback.
First joining the Falcons on a four-year, $180 million contract last summer, Cousins was benched in favor of Penix after a rough 2024 campaign, where he ranked 20th in the league.
In his first full year as a starter, the potential future of the franchise has gone through growing pains, but remained solid throughout, as he ranks 25th among all quarterbacks.
As a result, Atlanta might not be tempted to put the four-time Pro Bowler back into the mix. After spending six seasons with the Vikings and leading them to the playoffs twice, it is hard to find a quarterback more well-suited for the organization.
At one point, it seemed like insanity. But if Minnesota wants to salvage its season and correct course into becoming a postseason contender again, then Cousins might be the way forward.
