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Scrolling through Julie Cousins’ Instagram this week was a heartbreaking experience. The wife of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins shared the emotional aftermath of the 35-year-old’s season-ending Achilles tendon tear suffered Sunday against the Green Bay Packers. On Monday, dozens of cards made out of construction paper were stacked up on their kitchen counter. Their sons’ classmates scribbled with crayons the words “feel better” along with drawings of rainbows, hearts and clouds.

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No card posted had the words Vikings or SKOL. Yes, Cousins is the quarterback of the Vikings and one of the most famous people in the state, but he’s also just Turner and Cooper’s dad. The next day, Julie posted a picture from their patient room at the Twin Cities Orthopedic office where Cousins was getting his surgery. The window faced a player meeting room at the Vikings facility, which is less than 30 yards away. They could clearly see Cousins’ teammates sitting in chairs, looking at a big screen with film of the Falcons as they prepared for their game against Atlanta. Cousins wasn’t technically with the team, but he was close by.

Cousins is out for the season and will be a free agent in 2024. Though his future is unclear, conversations I’ve had with sources over the last few months suggest Minnesota will try to bring him back and that there are many in the building who want that.

This week against the Falcons, Minnesota will start rookie quarterback Jaren Hall, who is described by Vikings people as poised, mature and focused. Cousins reached out to the 25-year-old and has been in contact with him as he prepares for his first start.

But as the trade deadline loomed this week, the Vikings also knew another QB who could step in and quickly learn Kevin O’Connell’s offensive system. On Monday, they poked around at everything. They discussed internally what move would make the most sense, from a brief discussion about perhaps calling the Dallas Cowboys to trade for Trey Lance to a conversation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers about signing John Wolford off their practice squad. Ultimately, the team decided to pursue a trade with Arizona for quarterback Joshua Dobbs. The Vikings had one rule in adding a quarterback: Minimize the impact on their team-building beyond 2023. Enter Dobbs for only a sixth-round pick.

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He will be active as the backup against the Falcons, and the role of supporting the starter is one of his strengths. The journeyman was drafted by the Steelers in 2017. Pittsburgh players and staff always shared with me over those years how much they appreciated his support as a backup and ability to play in relief mode. You’ll hear him described as smart by every organization. He has bounced between Jacksonville, Pittsburgh again, Cleveland, Detroit, Tennessee, Cleveland again and then Arizona. His suitcase must be hanging on by a thread.

The plan is to get him ready to eventually start if the rookie isn’t Brock Purdy part 2.

Trade market wrapup

The NFL trade market is now closed until March.

We saw 15 moves total, including eight trades over a 24-hour period, which was the second most on any day in a season since 1990. Yet one successful general manager still described the trade period this season to be like movie theater popcorn, in that it smells really good but the taste doesn’t match.

I take issue with his opinion on movie theater popcorn because I happen to think it’s delicious, but the truth is every year the trade deadline is getting busier, partly thanks to a new breed of general managers who are willing to take some swings.

Commanders’ stockpile

Following their NFL trade deadline activity, the Washington Commanders now have five picks in the 2024 draft’s first three rounds and three in the top 50.

For weeks I was told the team was willing to move either Chase Young or Montez Sweat, not both. Then something changed. General managers around the league sensed that Washington was open for business on both players because the Commanders called teams the week before the deadline to gauge their markets, multiple sources shared.

Though Ron Rivera and the front office were on board with moving their two star pass rushers after several discussions, I was told the final seal of approval was made by ownership. It’s not unusual for an owner to be part of moves that involve multiple star players on a roster. There isn’t a coach in the NFL who wants to lose talent in a win-now season, but it was explained to me by a high-ranking official that this is all about longer-term planning. There is a strong belief in the building that the Commanders have found their franchise quarterback in Sam Howell, and now it’s about building for 2024.

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We still don’t know if ownership will stick with Rivera, general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of player personnel Marty Hurney, but I can tell you they aren’t giving up on the season whether they are part of the future of the new Commanders or not.

Speaking of ownership with a strong say in roster decisions, I had to check in with Dallas. The Cowboys didn’t make any moves at the deadline despite their NFC rivals San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks all trading to get better. But I was told the Cowboys did work the phones and tried to make a move. A source shared they were hunting for a linebacker, as we have seen Dallas is thin at the position. In the end, no deal made sense. When I texted with a team source about their quiet day, the response was, “We feel good about our roster.”

The Chiefs practice Friday with the Frankfurt skyline in the background. (Kirby Lee / USA Today)

Week 9 is here (and in Germany!)

Reisen! (Translation: Travel!)

Does it really surprise anyone that Andy Reid is a creature of habit? The future Hall of Fame coach wanted his team to feel as normal as possible headed into this massive game on the international stage, so the Chiefs left for Germany on Thursday after having their regularly scheduled week in Kansas City. This is the same coach who, for the Super Bowl in February in Arizona, had his team’s hotel redesigned to look more like the Chiefs’ building back in Kansas City. All to help the staff feel at home.

The Miami Dolphins have been overseas all week, having left on Monday. I find it fascinating that we continue to see a difference in style from teams when they play internationally. So far this season, the team that crosses the Atlantic Ocean first comes home the winner.

Quarterback updates

Joe Burrow’s impact: After another slow start to the season, the Cincinnati Bengals look primed for a playoff run while coming off three consecutive wins. Burrow and his now-healthy calf have lifted the offense to new heights. This past week an offensive coordinator in the league mentioned how the Bengals’ offense has given defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo and the defense a shot of life. After giving up almost 24 points per game when the defense was needed most and Burrow was limping around on the field, the Bengals have gotten that average down to 17 during the streak. Burrow’s health has allowed this defense to play free and aggressive. Crazy to think how a dynamic quarterback can inspire the entire team, not just the offense. Which also is the hope in Atlanta this weekend …

Taylor Heinicke: Yes, the Falcons have made a change at quarterback this week in replacing Desmond Ridder, but it’s been made clear to me it’s not over for the 2022 third-round pick. Inside the building, there is still strong belief Ridder is their guy this season despite costly turnovers in critical situations. The team is hoping to get some juice from Heinicke, which he showed in Washington, to put Atlanta in a good spot. The Falcons have key wins in the NFC South, and if they can win the next two heading into the bye and get to 6-4, the season looks bright.

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Deshaun Watson: I don’t believe there was ever anything shady going on in Cleveland despite miscommunication to the media at different times. Since injuring his right throwing shoulder, the assessment from league sources was consistent that Watson was day to day. I’ve heard from multiple people that Watson wants to be on the field, but he just hasn’t been able to drive the ball at a high level with low pain.

The most important piece of information is that the organization has no plans to place Watson on injured reserve. He will be back Sunday against the Cardinals, and the building is thrilled.

Daniel Jones: The New York Giants were hopeful Jones would be ready to return Sunday at the Las Vegas Raiders after missing three games with a neck injury. He was cleared last Sunday, and though a source with the team shared Jones is not 100 percent pain-free, he’s ready to roll in Vegas.

Justin Fields: The quarterback who dislocated his thumb on Oct. 15 was back at practice throwing for the first time since the injury. He won’t play Sunday in New Orleans, but a source with Chicago shared that the team is hoping he can go on Thursday night against the Carolina Panthers. He’s still trying to comfortably grip the ball. Fields was spotted with a glove on his throwing hand to help with that.

Kyler Murray: We aren’t expecting to see him on the field Sunday in Cleveland, as the Cardinals will start rookie Clayton Tune, but Murray should be back next week. I was told the goal of the Arizona staff is to get a better assessment of Murray’s progress and status.

As for the chatter that Arizona was open to trading? I was told that never happened. While I do believe new general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon would have listened to an offer, the Murray contract makes it too difficult to move him. Teams like Atlanta or Minnesota never even discussed it, even though there are some who believe those two should have looked into it.

(Top photo of Jaren Hall: Patrick McDermott / Getty Images)

“The Football 100,” the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, is on sale now. Order it here.