Kirk Cousins was noncommittal when asked earlier this offseason if he regrets signing with the Atlanta Falcons, who proceeded to spend a top-10 draft pick on his potential successor just months after his arrival. Had the quarterback known about Atlanta’s plans, however, he would’ve given “more consideration” to a specific alternative in free agency, according to ESPN.

That alternative: Staying with the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract, and serving as an unofficial bridge to rookie J.J. McCarthy, the Vikings’ eventual first-round investment at the position.

There is conflicting information regarding whether the Vikings always intended to spend an early pick on their own Cousins successor. One of the Cousins’ primary reasons for testing the open market reportedly stemmed from the Vikings’ plan to go younger under center, and yet Cousins himself recently downplayed that notion, claiming head coach Kevin O’Connell informed him Minnesota likely wouldn’t use a high pick on a quarterback in the event the veteran re-signed with the team.

It’s not hard to see why Cousins may retroactively wish he had simply stayed put if he was always destined to have his long-term job security challenged. Cousins was already familiar with the Vikings, after all, having spent six years in town and two under O’Connell; and Minnesota’s supporting cast is arguably superior to that of the Falcons, boasting elite skill players across the offense.

On draft night, of course, when Atlanta shook up its quarterback room by welcoming Michael Penix Jr. as the future face of the franchise, “it was too late for Cousins to consider that possibility,” ESPN writes. Yet Cousins’ own contractual desires helped erase such a possibility; he’s admitted that he sought a multi-year commitment from the Vikings ahead of free agency, whereas the team preferred another short-term extension, presumably with an eye already on McCarthy or another long-term option.

McCarthy, for what it’s worth, has been behind veteran addition Sam Darnold in the Vikings’ summer quarterback “competition,” with O’Connell and Co. preaching patience regarding the rookie’s integration.

Cousins, meanwhile, has mostly taken his dramatic offseason in stride, at least publicly. While he didn’t deny regrets over his move to Atlanta, where he said at his introductory news conference he hoped to “retire,” Cousins said it wouldn’t be “helpful” to harbor any ill will toward the Falcons, who signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract in March, because “we’re trying to win a Super Bowl” together.