Vikings Are About to Get a Big Discount on a $245 Million Pro Bowl Quarterback
Coming off a bitter split with the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson will make his next team very happy after returning. And that team might be the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Spotrac, Wilson, who is expected to be cut by the Broncos before free agency on March 13, changed a clause in his contract that would reduce the $39 million in guaranteed money he would have to pay if he -would make the discount. ~ Deserves a new team in 2024. Denver will cut costs for Wilson, meaning its next team (which is unlikely to sign him to a contract over $39 million) will receive the veteran’s minimum of $1.21 million next season.
That would be a huge boost for the Vikings, who are owed $28.5 million to Cousins in 2024, whether or not he’s on the roster. The Vikings traded Kirk Cousins for Russell Wilson, signing him to a massive free agent contract.
The cousins will receive a bonus proportional to the number of years left on their current contract, which expires on March 13. If not extended, that bonus will accelerate through 2024.
Clearing the cap, paying the final installment after Cousins leaves and still finding a replacement shortstop isn’t a recipe for success in 2024 for the Vikings, who typically have to sink about $60 million into cap space. A quarterback position of his caliber to replace. Wilson may not be the talent he once was, but he threw for 3,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in his final year with the Seattle Seahawks, leaving him just two years away from getting his ninth nod to the Pro Bowl in 2021. It became a game-manager role that intrigued Denver enough to forgo a big deal and extend him to a five-year, $245 million deal. Given that he could be as cheap as the veteran minimum of $1.21 million next season, he would be the best shortstop the Vikings could sign, and could also- and prepare the quarterback of the future, according to Pioneer Press columnist Charlie Walters.
“If the Vikings select a QB with the 11th pick in April, it would not be unreasonable financially to consider Russell Wilson as their QB for next season,” Walters wrote, adding to the “rumors” surrounding his. Cousins’ next contract is worth $45 million a year in free agency. “Bottom line: Vikings can pay Cousins $45 million next season and Wilson $1.2 million.”
It’s not as simple as Walter said. It would cost the Vikings about $34 million to pay Cousins’ cap hit along with Wilson, Jaren Hall and a first-round quarterback. However, this puts Minnesota in contention for Wilson with a manageable cap for the position in 2024 and frees up the Vikings financially to land a big free agent who can fill a roster spot in the third draft class of the new regime in 2025.
A solid 2024 draft could set the Vikings up for a meteoric rise in the NFC North.
This season has identified several questions facing the NFC North, which looks to be a potential major division for years to come. The Detroit Lions narrowly missed out on making it to the Super Bowl. The Green Bay Packers have their quarterback of the future, and the Chicago Bears are preparing for a franchise-changing draft and free agency period this spring. The 2024 season will be critical for the Vikings to keep up with the rest of the division as they decide their future at quarterback, with money still tied up in Cousins and a lack of capital due to previous trades.
But if the Vikings can make progress in the 2023 draft this spring, they could be ready to move up to contender status with $140 million in cap space still to spend after acquiring Justin Jefferson and Christian. Darrisav’s contract has been extended. The big question is who will be the quarterback for the next few years, but Cousins’ exit strategy with Wilson will allow the Vikings to either bolster their roster for a young quarterback in the next couple of years or add one to the roster. He is scheduled to compete in 2025 as well.
