Purple Headlines of the Week: Cousins Contract Buzz, First Question of the Offseason Answered, Mike Zimmer to the Cowboys?
Josh Frey
|
We’re another week through the Vikings 2024 offseason, and rumors are in full-swing regarding the team.
As we continue to plow ahead through the remainder of the NFL playoffs and into the true offseason process, here is a look at all of the purple headlines of the past week.
$45 Million per Year for Kirk Cousins?
For the first time since Kirk Cousins signed with the Vikings back in 2018, the veteran quarterback is set to hit free agency (unless the Vikings give him an extension before then). Now, everyone is wondering what it will take to retain the veteran QB, and whether or not he’d be open to taking a hometown discount to remain in Minnesota.
Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press recently wrote an article laying out what he has been hearing regarding Cousins’ price tag in 2024. “The buzz now is that it will take $90 million guaranteed for two years, despite that he’s still not yet fully recovered from Achilles surgery in November, to sign free agent QB Kirk Cousins. If that’s the case, he certainly won’t get that from the Vikings,” Walters wrote.
Walters is correct in the idea that, if Cousins were to ask for $45 million per season, the money won’t come from the Vikings. They simply have too many other roster needs this offseason in order to fork out that type of money for a QB coming off a major injury and quickly approaching his late-30s.
This type of contract would also be on-par with what Cousins has received throughout his career. Remember, Cousins was set to hold a $45 million cap hit in 2023 before he restructured his previous deal with the Vikings, and prior to last offseason’s restructure, he held a top 10 cap hit at the QB position in four of his first five seasons in Minnesota.
The First Vikings Offseason Question Has Been Answered
One major question for Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores, and the Vikings organization as a whole, following the conclusion of the 2023 regular season regarded Flores’ status as a head coaching candidate.
Well, that question officially has been answered as of Thursday morning when the Washington Commanders made the decision to hire Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn as their next coach. With all 32 coaching vacancies being filled, it officially appears as if Flores will remain Minnesota’s DC in 2024.
Here is a look at all eight head coaching vacancies, and how they ended up being filled:
- Atlanta Falcons hire Raheem Morris
- Carolina Panthers hire Dave Canales
- Las Vegas Raiders hire Antonio Pierce
- Los Angeles Chargers hire Jim Harbaugh
- New England Patriots hire Jerod Mayo
- Seattle Seahawks hire Mike Macdonald
- Tennessee Titans hire Brian Callahan
- Washington Commanders hire Dan Quinn
Interestingly, five of the eight spots were filled with defensive coaches, but Flores was not in the mix. Perhaps with another strong year in Minnesota, that can change in 2025.
Mike Zimmer to the Cowboys?
After stating back in December that he had an interest in getting back to the league, former Vikings HC Mike Zimmer will be interviewing with the Dallas Cowboys in regard to their vacant defensive coordinator position. Earlier in the week, Dallas’ former DC, Dan Quinn, took the head coaching role for the Washington Commanders, leaving the Cowboys in search of a new coach to lead their defense.
Zimmer, 67, has a total of 28 years of NFL coaching experience, holding various roles with multiple teams, including his eight-year stint as the head coach in Minnesota. However, as Adam Schefter notes, his longest stint by far came with the Cowboys where he coached for 13 years from 1994-2006.
The former Vikings head coach began as an assistant defensive coach in 1994 before taking on the role of defensive backs coach in 1995. Then, he held the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator role from 2000-06.
In Case You Missed It…
As usual, we have an extra list of reading material for the especially studious Vikings fans. Happy reading!
- A Kevin O’Connell Contract Extension?
- Former Vikings Head Coach Lands with Seahawks
- Beloved Ex-Vikings QB Hangs Up Cleats
- The View from VT
- ESPN Has Two QB Predictions for the Vikings in 2024
The Book on One of the Vikings’ Biggest “What If” Stories Has Come to a Close
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.