Kirk Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings last offseason after failing to reach a new agreement with the team. A little over a year later, and Cousins could find himself back in the purple and gold.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns and — yes — the Vikings could all look to trade for Cousins during the 2025 NFL Draft, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic. Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson mentioned the Browns and Steelers as potential landing spots for Cousins in March.

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While the Vikings would be the most interesting landing spot for Cousins given the team’s apparent commitment to J.J. McCarthy and Cousins’ history with the franchise, Minnesota is the least likely of that trio to make a deal for Cousins, per Russini.

“The Browns, Steelers and possibly Vikings could be involved in a Cousins trade. Minnesota is looked at as the least likely scenario, given its preference for J.J. McCarthy and that Cousins would need to sign off on any trade he is involved in. It’s believed that Cousins would be against any trade that involves sending him to a situation involving a young QB, similar to the situation he faced in Atlanta last year. If a trade were to happen, I’d expect it to go down on Saturday.”

The Browns and Steelers make sense as potential landing spots. Pittsburgh is already courting another veteran quarterback in Aaron Rodgers. But Rodgers still hasn’t signed with the team. Cousins could be a solid consolation prize if the team doesn’t want to deal with the headache of waiting on Rodgers anymore. The Steelers are expected to add another quarterback at some point, as Mason Rudolph is currently listed as the team’s starter on its depth chart.

Cleveland already added a veteran quarterback this offseason. After a year away from Cleveland, Joe Flacco is back. And while Flacco can still put up decent numbers, he shouldn’t be an impediment if the team also wants to bring Cousins on board. The Browns are in need of a quarterback after DeShaun Watson sustained an Achilles injury in October. Watson dealt with a setback, which required another surgery in January. His status for the 2025 NFL season is in question.

The draft should provide plenty of clarity on whether either team wants to take the plunge on Cousins. Both the Steelers and Browns are popular landing spots for the rookie quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. If those teams fail to snag a quarterback in the first couple rounds, Cousins might be the best bridge option available to them, which is likely why Russini sees Saturday as the most likely day a trade would occur.

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There are questions about Cousins’ ability after a rocky 2024. The 36-year-old struggled with the Atlanta Falcons, tossing 18 touchdowns against an NFL-leading 16 interceptions in just 14 games. With Cousins struggling, the team turned to rookie Michael Penix down the stretch. Penix will be the team’s starter in 2025.

It’s possible Cousins bounces back this season. While his age is an issue, Cousins was coming off an Achilles injury last season. If that injury hindered his production, Cousins could see a resurgence if he returns to full health.

Even if Cousins is firmly in the decline phase of his career, whatever team acquires him doesn’t need him to be useful for long. At this point, Cousins is probably best served keeping the seat warm for a younger, more promising quarterback.

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That’s likely how the Steelers and Browns would view Cousins if they acquire him. He could provide stability under center in 2025 as the team turned their attention on quarterback prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft.

That’s the exact scenario Cousins is trying to avoid, but at least he would get 2025 to prove he still has something left in the tank.