Kirk Cousins rumored to Sign Monster Deal, Remain With Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings could turn things around under center for the first time in six years, but their best bet is the return of starting pitcher Kirk Cousins.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported the day before the Super Bowl that the Vikings’ quarterback situation was one of the league’s biggest stories in Las Vegas ahead of the San Francisco 49ers vs. Kansas City Chiefs game. “Kirk Cousins’ impending free agency is as much the story of this year’s Super Bowl as the big game in Minneapolis was six years ago,” Graziano wrote on Saturday, February 10. “The Minnesota Vikings are working to determine if they can keep their 35-year-old quarterback with an Achilles injury and would like to hear back in the coming weeks so they can plan accordingly.
Bringing Cousins to Minnesota doesn’t come cheap. He is even expected to ask for a raise on his $35 million contract through the 2023 season. Bleacher Report’s David Kenyon predicted on Saturday that Cousins will sign a two-year deal worth $82 million dollars, with $70 million guaranteed, to keep his spot in the purple and gold. Kirk Cousins’ ruptured Achilles tendon is unlikely to affect his leverage in contract negotiations with the Vikings.
Kirk Naven, Vikings.
Kenyon said the current market for NFL starting quarterbacks is so high that Cousins made a significant impact in contract negotiations despite suffering the worst injury of his career in his late 30s (a hamstring torn Achilles against the Green Bay Packers in Week 8). He claimed he was crazy. . No doubt the Minnesota Vikings want to keep him. Despite those injuries, Cousins, who turns 36 in August, has been a QB long enough that he isn’t at any typical injury risk. Even before the unfortunate failure, he was playing at a very high level.
Wherever he lands, it’s reasonable to expect Cousins to sign a two- or three-year contract worth at least $35 million to $40 million or more per season. The Vikings’ trade for OLB Daniel Hunter has been put on hold until the Kirk Cousins situation is resolved.
Kirk Naven, Vikings.
The Vikings have a significant advantage in negotiating with Cousins because they are the only team under league rules that allow them to do so before free agency officially begins in mid-March. If a player becomes an undrafted free agent, he may end up playing elsewhere because of what it means for Minnesota’s goalie.
Multiple contract restructurings mean that a significant portion of what the team paid Cousins will count toward the team’s salary cap in some capacity over the next four years. That includes $28.5 million the Vikings will receive in 2024 unless the current team and the Cubs agree to an extension at the NFL deadline.
“This dead head rush is not going to stop the [Vikings] from re-signing [Cousins]. But if an agreement can be reached and some of the costs can be paid by March 12, it will be much easier to reach a deal. completely. That fee. The future of the new covenant,” Graziano wrote. Minnesota also needs to consider how adding Cousins or letting him go will affect the futures of other standout players. For example, Graziano said extension talks with star wide receiver Daniel Hunter could be put on hold until the Vikings make a final decision on Cousins.
