As the Vikings try to come to terms with the season-ending Achilles tear suffered by quarterback Kirk Cousins (and if you’ve seen the video of the play, you know it’s torn), they need to figure out who will be playing quarterback.
While a trade is possible between now and Tuesday’s deadline, there’s no one out there who has experience with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. But there is an available veteran who has three years with O’Connell, in Washington.
Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Colt McCoy could be joining the Vikings, either on the roster or the practice squad.
McCoy and O’Connell were together from 2017 through 2019, when O’Connell was quarterbacks coach (2017), quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator (2018), and offensive coordinator (2019).
The Vikings recently worked out McCoy, along with Sean Mannion. They signed Mannion to the practice squad, after Nick Mullens landed on injured reserve.
Mullens must miss at least one more game on IR. It’s unclear what the Vikings will do this week. Rookie fifth-rounder Jaren Hall is QB2, and he finished the game on Sunday after the Cousins injury. Is he ready to take over for a team that has rocketed from 1-4 to 4-4? That’s a decision the Vikings need to make quickly.
Potential trade targets include Ryan Tannehill of the Titans (he currently has a high-ankle sprain), Jacoby Brissett of the Commanders, and Case Keenum of the Texans. Keenum, as anyone who has been paying any attention to the Vikings knows, was the quarterback for the Minneapolis Miracle in early 2018.
The Vikings let Keenum leave as a free agent that year, signing Cousins.
