More Signs Point to the Vikings Moving on from Kirk Cousins in 2024
Josh Frey
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Throughout his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins largely has been an above-average starting quarterback. His production on the field often makes him a borderline top-10 player at the position, and in 2022 he was often at his best when it mattered most. However, the biggest critique of Cousins has been his price tag.
The QB’s contracts have been some of the most lucrative deals in the NFL, and for this reason, many have been predicting (sometimes begging) the Vikings will move on from him next offseason in order to get a cheaper QB.
However, some of the more recent reports suggest that price may not be that large of a factor in Minnesota’s decision-making after all. Earlier this offseason, the Vikings and Cousins came to an agreement that allowed Minnesota to perform a cap conversion on his contract that freed up $16 million in cap space.
Prior to that, though, according to Star Tribune‘s Andrew Krammer via a recent episode of the Access Vikings podcast, Cousins had asked for a longer term extension of three years with fully guaranteed money. While this tracks with recent Cousins’ negotiations in the past, the difference, per Krammer, is that Cousins would have been open to a pay reduction.
“I had also heard that he wasn’t asking for $40 (million), he wasn’t asking for that much in terms of what Daniel Jones got, who is obviously much younger but much less accomplished,” Krammer said. “Cousins’ camp was kind of surprised, I guess, from what I heard, at the Vikings not jumping, or at least accepting, more of what they were asking for.”
If this is indeed the case, it adds another wrinkle into what is already a very interesting situation regarding Minnesota’s starting quarterback. It also sheds some light on one of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s comments from the scouting combine where discussed the future of Cousins with the Vikings.
“A necessary condition is having a starting level quarterback, a quarterback above a certain threshold. That isn’t the only thing you need, but that is one of the things you need. Having a good level quarterback is a necessary condition. Kirk the quarterback meets that threshold, so we know that. How do you build the rest of the team around him to make sure you can win in that way?” explained Adofo-Mensah. “Different quarterbacks require different things around them. We know for sure he meets that threshold, but how long does he meet that threshold? Those are the things we have to answer.”
Cousins turns 35 years old in August, which means that if he had gotten another multi-year extension, he would be 37 or 38 by the time it ended. The QB has been a picture of health throughout his career, but health is a dangerous assumption for a player heading into their mid-to-late 30s.
For this reason, it makes sense for Minnesota to keep their options open for the time being. Perhaps this ends with the Vikings taking a QB in the 2023 Draft, or maybe they somehow get into the Lamar Jackson sweepstakes. Or, maybe this saga extends into the 2024 offseason with Minnesota looking at drafting a QB next spring, signing a bridge QB in free agency, or even bringing back Cousins.
However, as of now, it looks clearer than ever that the Vikings do not have a long-term plan around Cousins. Perhaps there is time for that to change, but a QB change in 2024 appears to be the most likely path forward for Minnesota.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing. 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.