Vikings Urged to Sign $49 Million QB to Replace Kirk Cousins
The Minnesota Vikings got a taste of what the 2023 offseason may look like when they scrambled to find another quarterback after Kirk Cousins‘ season-ending Achilles tear — and they could revisit one of those conversations at the trade deadline in the coming months.
The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reported on October 31 that the Vikings “looked into” trading for Washington Commanders backup Jacoby Brissett before ultimately landing Josh Dobbs.
Brissett could serve as a bridge quarterback in 2024 while the Vikings develop a rookie quarterback next season and reload for a run in 2025, when they’ll have significant cap space to use in free agency.
A 2016 third-round pick by the New England Patriots, Brissett was traded to the Indianapolis Colts after Andrew Luck sprained his AC joint.
Brissett started 15 games that season, and although he struggled behind an offensive line that failed to protect Luck (who was knocked down more than any other quarterback for three straight seasons prior), he took care of the ball and has proven to be a reliable game manager.
Despite an 18-30 career record, Brissett has maintained a 2:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. He’s thrown 51 touchdowns and 23 interceptions across his 48 starts. He’s made stops with the Miami Dolphins and Cleveland Browns and won games despite slotting into offenses that were not built around his skillset.
Brissett’s career has largely been defined by taking teams, struck with injuries to their starter, as far as they can go.
He’s not going to elevate an offense, but he’s proven to complement his surrounding pieces — and the Vikings have plenty of skilled players at their disposal.
The Vikings’ interest in Brissett at the trade deadline may have been a bit out of desperation, but their interest alone shows they see Brissett as a potential fit in their plans — especially in a season where they intended to continue to compete without Cousins or Justin Jefferson for much of the season.
He’s made $49 million in his career, but his last contract with the Commanders was just $8 million for the 2023 season — a rate that would give the Vikings more flexibility to rebuild the roster in free agency.
