49ers insider weighs in on Kirk Cousins speculation

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk created some San Francisco 49ers social media buzz by once again linking the Bay Area team to Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, the apple of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s eye in 2017. Florio said he foresees the Niners getting involved in a battle for Cousins’ services next year.

“I think you’re going to see—unless the Vikings re-sign him by then, and they can’t use the franchise tag on him, the way his contract is structured—you’re going to see a potential tug of war between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay (Rams head coach) for Kirk Cousins next March,” Florio said during an interview. “Mark that down.”

Cousins is set to become an unrestricted free agent next year. However, he will be 36 years old entering the 2024 season, and fans have grown weary of hearing the veteran quarterback’s name linked to the 49ers every offseason.

That led one fan to ask a 49ers insider about Florio’s report. Should fans take it seriously, or is it just another attempt to link Cousins to Shanahan because the coach has consistently praised the quarterback?

“Yes, Shanahan loves Cousins,” Matt Barrows wrote in a recent mailbag for The Athletic. “He has championed Cousins, now 34, since he was Washington’s offensive coordinator in 2012, the year Washington chose the quarterback in the fourth round. But he suspects he now has a younger, cheaper and more mobile version of Cousins in Purdy, who is 11 years younger.”

Brock Purdy is only 23 years old and was last season’s surprise NFL rookie. The quarterback took over the starting job after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, helping guide the 49ers all the way to the NFC Championship Game before suffering a torn ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow.

Purdy proved the 49ers could win with him under center. However, he has still only made eight career starts, including three playoff games. Barrows believes that warrants Purdy being labeled as “unproven.”

The elbow injury wasn’t Purdy’s only one last season. The quarterback dealt with an oblique during his impressive run. His future health could determine whether Shanahan looks elsewhere to finally solidify the quarterback position.

“Cousins, on the other hand, has been remarkably healthy in starting either all or all but one game in each of the last eight seasons,” Barrows wrote. “So if Purdy gets hurt again and both Lance and Sam Darnold falter as replacements, I can see Shanahan rekindling his interest in Cousins.”

Barrows adds, “But he’s certainly not Plan A like he was back in 2017.”

How could the 49ers afford Cousins? The team’s current affordable quarterback room has allowed it to build a talented roster at nearly every other position. Barrows believes that philosophy would likely need to change should the 49ers chase a high-priced quarterback.