Vikings emerge as favorite to sign Baker Mayfield amid Kirk Cousins-Falcons rumors

The Vikings may be looking to pursue a change at quarterback, with Kirk Cousins looking likely to leave in free agency.

The NFL offseason presents plenty of opportunity for fans to witness plenty of roster churn, with many familiar faces set to ply their trade in new places. For the Minnesota Vikings, it looks like they will be making a huge change in the coming months following a disappointing 2023 season, with the team looking to replace veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins amid rumors linking the 35-year old to a move to the Atlanta Falcons.

Now, there are a few routes the Vikings can pursue to get a new starting quarterback in the event that they trade away Cousins to the Falcons. And one likely route for them to take is to sign a replacement via free agency. According to BetOnline's latest odds, the Vikings have emerged as the favorite to sign Baker Mayfield from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with their odds to do so being set at +200.

The Vikings, however, will have some competition for Mayfield's services. Rounding out the top five most likely teams to sign the Buccaneers quarterback are the New England Patriots (+400), the Falcons (+600), Denver Broncos (+700), and Las Vegas Raiders (+700).

It'll be interesting to see if the other teams can beat the Vikings and Buccaneers to Baker Mayfield's signature. The Patriots' quarterback situation remains in flux as they look to begin the Jerod Mayo era in style, the Broncos have a need at quarterback following the release of Russell Wilson, while the Raiders are looking to make a big splash with the impending departure of Jimmy Garoppolo.

But after a 7-10 season in 2023, it seems like the Vikings want a better and younger option at QB, and Mayfield, who is coming off a strong season with a Buccaneers team that made it all the way to the NFL Divisional Round in the playoffs, looks like an upgrade over Kirk Cousins, who is already 35 years of age.

Mayfield, according to analysts, is likely to sign a contract worth around $100 to $120 million over four years; with how Cousins' contract is structured, the Vikings have to act quickly to address their QB situation, as they need to sign him to an extension prior to March 13 lest they carry a dead cap figure of $28.5 million. But that doesn't appear likely to happen, hence the Mayfield links.