Vikings Rumors: A Staggering $51 Million, Tamper Tuesday, & The QB Overcoming Context
K. Joudry
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Since we’re officially into the portion of the year when Vikings rumors are arriving fast and furious, we’ll be highlighting some of the purple rumblings.
The “Vikings Rumor Wrangle” is a series that keeps readers informed on what’s being whispered about in Vikings Land. In this iteration, we discuss the possibility of Kirk Cousins landing $51 million per season, a star Viking igniting tampering on Tuesday, and overcoming context.
Vikings Rumors: 02.28.2024
Rumor #1 — Kirk Cousins Could Land $51 Million Annually
Sure, he could do so, but that kind of number would involve Cousins radically changing how he operates.
On ESPN, Bill Barnwell floated the number. The veteran football writer sees the potential for widespread interest for Mr. Cousins’ services: “That’s a group that includes the Broncos, Buccaneers, Falcons, Raiders, Steelers and Titans, with the Dolphins and Seahawks as outside candidates if they move on from their current starters. Some of those teams will opt for longer shots in the draft, but if Cousins’ recovery is on track, he should be able to get one more significant deal as a 35-year-old free agent.”
No doubt, seeing more teams jump into the mix is a good thing for a player’s compensation. More interest means more competition. The player, in turn, has more leverage when demanding a gaudy per-year average.
The issue, of course, is that snagging that kind of number — $51 million per season — would mean forfeiting the fully guaranteed structure.
There’s a 0% chance that a team hands over such a monstrous per year average while guaranteeing every penny. Simply isn’t going to happen, folks. But if that’s the case, then would Cousins even jump at that deal? The man craves certainty in an NFL where job security is perpetually in short supply.
For a little while, the highest number within the Cousins contract speculation was $45 million per season. Notably, that’s an amount that was circulating prior to the NFL’s huge salary cap increase. The Barnwell projection thus makes some sense in a league where money is more abundant, but Cousins would need to adjust how he has done business for the better part of a decade.
Rumor #2 — Kirk Cousins Innocently Gave his Agent Ammunition to Tamper
What can I say? The week has brought a lot of Kirk Cousins conjecture.
According to some, the well-paid QB was very strategic when releasing his workout video. The brief clip shows a shorts-and-t-shirt Cousins working on his dropback before firing a crisp pass. He looks healthy mere months after tearing his Achilles at Lambeau.
Pro Football Talk‘s Twitter made this comment: “Just in time for Tampering Central to convene on Indianapolis.” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert arrived at a similar thought: “Just in time for the start of the conversations that never happen because they’re not allowed between teams and agents at the NFL scouting combine…”
Now, keep in mind how Cousins proceeded. The man did not explicitly say that he’s giving his agent a bit more power to tamper on Tuesday (when The Combine began). He can claim ignorance, explaining that he is simply releasing a workout video while expressing thanks for how far his body has come. And while those standalone facts can be irrefutably innocent, the timing is what inspires all of the hubbub.
Cousins knows how to make money. Before the season ended, news started leaking about how the QB was attacking his rehab and where things were heading. The Week 17 Sunday Night Football showdown featured the Packers marching into U.S. Bank Stadium to give the Vikings a shellacking while also featuring Melissa Stark noting that Cousins was planning on circulating a video of him running to teams by February.
That was the starter’s pistol.
Since then, the QB has done a bit of a media blitz. Within all of this he has spoken about a willingness to venture into his uncertain future, quietly confident in whatever is coming next. Yes, he wants to keep finding employment in Minnesota, but he won’t settle for a deal that isn’t up to his high standards. Drumming up interest is simply one way of gaining leverage in what is proving to be a challenging negotiation in Minnesota.
Rumor #3 — A QB Overcoming Context
Why fight the inevitable, folks? Kirk Cousins has a way of dominating the headlines; I don’t pretend that I’m immune to writing about the quarterback. We’re going 3 for 3!
While speaking with the media, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was asked to describe what he looks for in a quarterback. His answer is fascinating because of how he broke down what an NFL passer needs to do, explaining that there are at least a pair of steps. The first is the most basic and obvious. When Kevin O’Connell schemes a man open, the QB needs to nail the throw (“be able to operate on schedule”). No ifs, ands, or buts, a quarterback needs to be able to operate with that basic level of proficiency (watch the post-bye Vikings for an example of when it goes wrong).
But then there’s a second level to the play. When things breakdown or the play call is wrong, can the QB still succeed? Put things in Adofo-Mensah’s words: can the QB “overcome context?” Basically, he’s referring to what makes someone like Patrick Mahomes so sensational; the KC passer makes high-level throws off script with regularity.
And, truth be told, a ton of the controversy surrounding Cousins has always come down to this precise idea. Sure, when things are ideal, Kirk Cousins is an excellent player. What happens when things get chaotic and messy? Does he have that intangible “it-factor” that allows him to succeed?
The critics will say that Cousins can’t make those plays. Making the situation even worse is that he has commanded huge stacks of cash while having these limitations. And yet most observers would say that these past two seasons have been the best of Cousins’ career. Critically, much of what made these past couple seasons so compelling is that he has been clutch and has been able to overcome some brutal defensive play.
Of note, Adofo-Mensah ended his answer by bringing things around to the veteran that’s already attached to the roster: “And then obviously from a leadership standpoint, that position sets the tone. You talk about somebody like Kirk, who sets an example for how he works. His process. He’s got a phrase, ‘It’s not a hobby.’ And he lives everyday that way.”
Notably, the GM didn’t even feel the need to insert a Tuesday caveat.
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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.