Apparently, 2024 Could Bring a “Tug of War” for Kirk Cousins
Josh Frey
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This offseason, one of the main questions for the Minnesota Vikings revolved around the status and future of QB Kirk Cousins. Would he get a new contract and be granted his wish to retire as a Viking? Would he play out the final year of his deal and hit free agency? Or could he even be traded to another team in exchange for draft capital?
Well, after a salary conversion, we now have our answer: Cousins will play out the final year of his deal before hitting the open market next March. This was confirmed by the QB himself during mandatory minicamp when asked where he stood with the franchise. He stated that he doesn’t expect to discuss his contract again until next March, thus the expectation is that he will hit free agency in 2024 following his age-35 season.
When the 2024 free agency period begins, it appears that there could be a bit of a “tug of war” for Cousins, at least according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. In a recent discussion with Rich Eisen, the analyst talked about Cousins’ free agency, saying:
“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 for Kirk Cousins next March. Mark that down.“
Of course, the clip blew up, and everyone was talking about yet another 49ers connection to Kirk Cousins. This is important for a couple reasons. One, Florio is dialed in, so if he were to say something like this with such confidence, there is likely reason to believe it. Two, if there were to be a bidding war for Cousins next spring, the likelihood of him returning to Minnesota reduces significantly.
With all the young Vikings looking to get paid in the next 12-24 months, Minnesota will be shelling out massive contracts to players like T.J. Hockenson, Justin Jefferson, and Christian Darrisaw. Plus, with Cousins being 36 years old next season, and the 2024 Draft class looking like a potential goldmine for QB talent, that could be the perfect time for Minnesota to decide that they want to go in a different direction at the position.
After people began talking about his quote on social media, Florio doubled down on his take on Monday. He wrote on his own site about the potential “tug of war”, laying out his argument. Take a look at what he had to say:
At some point during the discussion from last Wednesday, I blurted out the possibility that, in March 2024, the 49ers and Rams will end up in a tug of war for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins. I know that, on the surface, it sounds crazy. But it could still happen. For starters, the Vikings have no way to keep Cousins from becoming an unrestricted free agent after the coming season, unless they sign him to a new deal. They can’t use the franchise tag. If Cousins wants to hit the market after six years in Minnesota (where he signed after six years in Washington), he will.
Florio continued by making the point that neither Los Angeles or San Francisco has exactly enjoyed great health at the quarterback spot over the past few years. The Niners were essentially down all four of their QBs by the time the NFC Championship Game ended, and Matthew Stafford played just nine games last year. Meanwhile, Cousins is still yet to miss a game due to injury since becoming a full-time starter back in 2015.
In all, it appears that next March could be a very interesting one, not just for the Vikings, but all these other teams that could pursue a veteran, healthy QB like Cousins. We still have to get through this season, but it will certainly be a topic that comes up time and time again until free agency begins next spring.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.