Kirk Cousins to Broncos? NFL Network says it’s possible, but it would make no sense

The name of Kirk Cousins stirred the pot in Broncos Country six years ago when he hit free agency before signing with the Minnesota Vikings. And now that the 13-year veteran quarterback appears poised to test the market once again, at least one reporter raised the possibility of the longtime starter and regional-pizza pitchman coming to Denver.

“Quite possibly” were the words NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero used to describe a potential pursuit of Cousins.

The #Vikings and Kirk Cousins remain in communication, but it appears the four-time Pro Bowl QB will test the free-agent market, which opens at noon ET on Monday. @NFLTotalAccess @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/qwGM49Cier

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 10, 2024

But nothing about Kirk Cousins and the Broncos would add up relative to the situation. Not regarding the salary cap — where the Broncos are in compliance, but still faced with the challenge of building a roster with an $85 million crater in the cap for the next two seasons — and not with the team’s timeline for opening a window of contention.

KIRK COUSINS TO THE BRONCOS WOULD REPRESENT MISALIGNMENT

After seven seasons of missteps and false starts, the Broncos finally appear to have some alignment of purpose and direction. It’s not necessarily what many in Broncos Country would want, because it likely appears to entail a rebuild — and one that might take a year or two to bear tangible fruit.

The goal, of course, is to build a perennial contender. In New Orleans, Sean Payton built a pair of cores that provided that status for five-year runs. From 2009-13, the Saints made the playoffs four times, only missing the 2012 season when Payton served a one-year suspension because of “Bountygate.” In three of those years, they advanced at least as far as the divisional round, winning it all in the 2009 season.

After three 7-9 seasons to retool in New Orleans from 2014-16, Payton had another core around which to succeed. And if not for perhaps the worst no-call in modern NFL history, Payton would have had the 2017-21 core back in the Super Bowl. In those years, the Saints won four division titles, only falling short in the year following Drew Brees’ retirement. But without Brees and with his successor, Jameis Winston, out for the final 10 games due to a torn ACL, those 2021 Saints finished with a winning record and missed the postseason on a tiebreaker.

New Orleans and Payton endured two or more consecutive years at .500 or worse before those five-year runs. But the result of those losing seasons was a sustainable contender.

Cousins might represent a shortcut to relevance. But there is little evidence he can be the pilot of a sustained multi-year contender. And in his age-36 season and coming off of a torn Achilles tendon, there is some risk as to whether he gets back to the level he reached in Minnesota.

If Payton wants a sustainable contender, it has to start with a younger quarterback — either through the draft or a younger reclamation project as Drew Brees and Kerry Collins were — and as San Francisco’s Sam Darnold or Washington’s Sam Howell might be.

Kirk Cousins to the Broncos might be possible.

But it would make no sense.