Kirk Cousins to Minnesota? R-E-L-A-X Vikings fans
Stephen_Nolan
|
It has been widely reported through various channels that the Minnesota Vikings are poised to offer prized free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins a contract when free agency begins on March 14. The figures being thrown around by these sources are a 3 year, $91 million contract. A lot of Vikings fans on social media are freaking out at this possibility eventuating, citing that Cousins isn’t all he’s hyped to be, that the contract will cripple the defense, and that this is the beginning of armageddon for the team.
It’s time for Vikings fans to relax. Firstly, as free agency hasn’t even started yet, getting worked up about the minutiae of any contract the team may offer Cousins is ridiculous. Until (and if) the contract is signed, we won’t know specifics about the cap hit by year, how much is guaranteed, or what options may be worked into the contract. Rick Spielman and Rob Brzezinski do a fantastic job of managing the cap for Minnesota, and I’m sure they know what they’re doing more than all of us. After all, there’s a reason the team has so much cap space to work with this offseason in the first place – these guys do a great job of steering clear of bad contracts.
As such, it doesn’t really make sense to panic about losing guys like Diggs or Hunter or Barr going into 2019 either due to cap troubles, as the picture right now is murky to say the least. I’d bet Spielman is pretty invested in keeping these guys around as well, and it’d be surprising if he didn’t have a plan moving forward in re-signing the team’s star players.
Now, regardless of whether you’re Team Teddy/Sam/Case, when you’re talking about offering a big QB contract (which we’ll have to do eventually), Cousins is the safest bet in my eyes. Keenum is coming off the best season of his career by far. When asked if Keenum could repeat his 2017 performances, Mike Zimmer responded by saying – “you think he can, but it’s just kind of guessing.” My take is that if Zimmer isn’t confident Keenum is the guy moving forward, it’s odd that so many fans are convinced he is. Teddy is coming off a career-altering injury – we have no idea what he’ll be like moving forward. It’s unclear if Bradford will ever be able to play again. Sloter has never played a snap in the NFL. Call me crazy, but I think it’s less risky to lock up a QB that’s thrown for 4000 yards and 25TDs in each of the past three years on a big contract than it is to gamble on one of the other guys during our defenses’ prime. And yes, every dollar makes a difference in building a competitive well-rounded team, but let’s not forget that we did just fine last season with Sharrif Floyd’s $6.7 million contract taking up space.
Regardless, let’s all wait for a contract to actually be offered, and a contract to actually be signed, before we let pandemonium ensue about how Spielman spends the Wilf’s money. Everything is going to be alright Vikings fans, whether it’s your favorite guy starting behind center in 2018 or not.