6 quarterbacks the Vikings can pick up (Teddy Bridgewater?) to replace an injured Kirk Cousins

The Minnesota Vikings were surging behind Kirk Cousins. After a turnover-plaged 1-4 start, the Vikes embarked on a three-game winning streak that included victories over the San Francisco 49ers and their arch rival Green Bay Packers. At 4-4, Minnesota has a puncher’s chance of rising to a playoff spot in a disheveled NFC.

But it’ll have to happen without Cousins. The veteran quarterback, in the midst of a Pro Bowl campaign, will reportedly miss the rest of the 2023 NFL season thanks to a torn Achilles tendon. It’s a brutal blow for the player who ranked among the league’s top five when it came to passing yards, touchdown passes and quarterback rating.

Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles today, per source. An MRI will be taken to confirm.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 29, 2023

It’s just as damaging for a team attempting to reclaim the glory of 2022’s NFC North title. Cousins had thrived even without top wideout Justin Jefferson, who hit the injured list after Week 5 due to a hamstring strain. He helped rookie wideout Jordan Addison look like a star while throwing for 378 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the 49ers’ brutal defense. In Week 8, he carved up the Packers for 274 yards and a pair of scores before exiting.

That leaves Minnesota to replace a top-10 quarterback with a player who might not even be top 40. The only backup on the active roster is rookie Jaren Hall, who completed three of four passes in low-impact mop-up duty but also fumbled deep in his own territory. Veteran Sean Mannion is on the practice squad, but he’s 0-3 as a starter in his long journeyman career and hasn’t thrown an NFL pass since 2021.

Fortunately for the Vikings, they have options. Not good ones, mind you, but Cousins’ injury happened two days before the league’s trading deadline, allowing an extra avenue to find a competent passer. The pickings, whether already on the depth chart or through a new addition, are slim. But Minnesota needs to make the best of a bad situation.

Here’s where they could turn.