The Minnesota Vikings turned away from the notion of reuniting with QB Kirk Cousins by trading with the Seattle Seahawks for Sam Howell over NFL draft weekend.
Then on Friday, May 2, the team appeared to slam the door on a Cousins’ reunion entirely by giving his old jersey number to the man who will be the franchise’s new backup quarterback.
“Sam Howell will wear number 8 for the #Vikings,” the VikingzFanPage posted to its X account.
Cousins was a good player for Minnesota across his six seasons with the team, though the notion that his jersey number became hallowed via his tenure with the franchise is, at best, a stretch.
Cousins joined the Vikings in 2018 and remained a member of the team through the 2023 campaign. Across that time, he earned three Pro Bowl nods and led the team to the playoffs on two occasions.
He finished his time as the Vikings starting QB with 23,265 passing yards, 171 TDs and 55 INTs. Cousins earned a regular season record of 50-37-1, while the team went 1-2 in the postseason with him as its starter.
Fan Criticism of Kirk Cousins Reignited by Vikings Giving His Old Number to Sam Howell
While a portion of the Vikings fan base that loved Cousins and would have liked to see him return to Minnesota, even in a backup role behind J.J. McCarthy, reacted poorly to the news of the team giving his number away, much of the fan reaction took the form of revived critiques of the veteran signal caller.
“I can confidently say there’s never been a better QB to wear 8,” one fan wrote of Howell.
“Cousins didn’t do ANYTHING to have his jersey retired, so why not let a backup wear it!!” another person chimed in.
“But think about all the Minnesota legends that wore that number!” a third X user posted. “Like [Trishton] Jackson and Sam Bradford!”
Sam Howell Less Expensive Than Kirk Cousins in 2025
The same fans who critiqued Cousins and anyone complaining about the team offering his number to its new No. 2 QB likely wouldn’t have appreciated Minnesota spending the money necessary to bring Cousins back into the fold for his age-37 season.
Cousins inked a $180 million contract in free agency last offseason to join the Atlanta Falcons, but lost his job to rookie Michael Penix Jr. late in the campaign. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Minnesota was in the mix to potentially trade for Cousins ahead of the draft, though there were obstacles to such a deal.
“Atlanta has asked for any acquiring team to pay $20 million of the $37.5 million worth of guarantees left on Cousins’ contract. To date, no has been willing to do that, and no team is expected to be willing to,” Schefter wrote. “There is a feeling around the league that a team, whether it is the Vikings or [Pittsburgh] Steelers, might be willing to pay down roughly $10 million.”
There is little debate that Cousins would have proven a more suitable mentor to McCarthy than Howell will be, based solely on Cousins’ age and experience. He may also have proven a stronger on-field option than Howell considering his knowledge of Minnesota’s current roster and scheme.
However, Cousins also would have cost significantly more, while Howell is significantly younger. Howell will play next season at 25 years old on the final year of his $4 million rookie contract.
Howell has a 5-13 career record as a starter, tallying 4,139 passing yards, 22 TDs and 23 INTs over 20 appearances across the past three seasons.
