Kirk Cousins is Making His Case for an Extension in Minnesota
All of the rumors focus on the trade possibility, but the door isn’t firmly closed on an extension.
Yes, the team is sitting at a brutal 0-3, but Kirk Cousins doesn’t shoulder the majority of the blame. Some of the blame goes in his direction since he’s been part of five turnovers (2 INTs & 3 fumbles) but even in those instances it’s difficult to get too worked up with the QB. After all, the stats would look a lot different if Ed Ingram didn’t punch the ball out of his QB’s hands or T.J. Hockenson caught the football in the endzone to finish off the Chargers.
The majority of what Cousins has done in 2023 has been positive.
After a trio of games, Cousins is perched above almost all of the NFL’s quarterbacks in major stat categories. His 1,075 passing yards are sensational when we consider he has only played in three games and so too are his 9 TD passes. He’s completing 69.6% of his passes and his 108.2 passer rating is similarly impressive.
The PFF nerds will even be pleased to note that the analytics website puts him at 7th overall among 34 qualifying QBs. So, not in the same realm as someone like Patrick Mahomes, but a very good QB. Why should the team move on from him? Age and cost may not be the prohibitive factors that some believe them to be.
The Case for Extending Kirk Cousins
The dominant narrative is that the Vikings are entering a rebuild.
In a lot of ways, the Vikings are in the middle of a transition period. What should be obvious, though, is that there isn’t much of an appetite for a traditional rebuild. Put differently, the Vikings won’t be following a similar path to, say, the Chicago Bears (how is that working out?).
Minnesota may continue to lose their grip on the 2023 season, prompting a selloff at the trade deadline. The goal will be to compete in 2024, though. Having players like Justin Jefferson, Brian O’Neill, T.J. Hockenson, Christian Darrisaw, Josh Oliver, and Jordan Addison on offense means the team won’t be giving up on competing anytime soon.
While the defense is a major step behind the offense, there are some building blocks in place. The secondary hasn’t arrived, but Josh Metellus (25), Camryn Bynum (25), Byron Murphy (25), Akayleb Evans (24), and Mekhi Blackmon (24) provide hope for the future.
Meanwhile, Ivan Pace is making the GM look pretty smart. Putting more talent around the hard-hitting linebacker won’t come without its challenges, but that’s where the NFL Draft and free agency will factor in. Brian Asamoah fulfilling his potential would suddenly make the LB spot look very promising in Minnesota.
And, of course, one thinks of finding a way of to retain Danielle Hunter. The hope is that the pass rusher will find a way of mimicking someone like Brandon Graham, Von Miller, or Cameron Jordan as a pass rusher who finds productivity well into his 30s.
The broader point, folks, is that the Vikings aren’t as far off as their 0-3 record would suggest. Keeping their supremely productive QB in the mix basically assures that their high-level weapons don’t go unused as a younger option acclimates to the NFL.
Consider the game-by-game output from the QB1:
- Week 1: 33/44, 344 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
- Week 2: 31/44, 364 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT
- Week 3: 32/50, 367 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT
Right now, Cousins is shouldering a massive burden. The running back has mostly been underwhelming and the defense continues working through the growing pains that are inherent to a rebuild. That’s quite the contrast to when Cousins first got to town when the team’s intent was to have an elite defense and an offense that leaned heavily on the legs of Dalvin Cook.
Giving the QB a deal that spans two or three years isn’t without risk but it’s also an approach that has some benefits. The team is entering a 2024 that currently boasts a bit beyond $55 million in cap space. Critically, that’s a total that already accounts for Cousins carrying a $28.5 million cap charge. The point is simply that keeping the QB1 in the mix doesn’t necessarily doom their finances.
Furthermore, the 2025 season boasts a touch above $160 million in projected room, enough to digest a lofty deal for the starting quarterback.
And here’s the final point: keeping Cousins in town for a couple more seasons doesn’t preclude the possibility of selecting a young quarterback high in the draft. Spending a couple years learning behind a great veteran is generally a positive, a reality Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah understand.
The Vikings do not want to enter a massive, wholesale rebuild. Instead, they want to refuel while the plane is still in the air as they continue flying toward Lombardi Town. Any QB who would replace Cousins is almost surely going to represent a step back in performance, so don’t be surprised if an extension is the end result of Cousins’ strong play in 2023.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference, PFF, and Over the Cap helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter and as a co-host for Notes from the North, a humble Vikings podcast.