Vikings sign Kirk Cousins to a $66 million contract extension

The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins have agreed to a contract extension that will keep him with the team through the 2022 season.

One of the biggest questions of the offseason has been answered for the Minnesota Vikings. With only one year remaining on his original deal with the Vikings, the status of quarterback Kirk Cousins after the upcoming season was still an unknown.

Well, now the problem has been solved. It was revealed on Monday that Minnesota and Cousins have agreed to a two-year extension that will keep him on the roster until 2023.

His new deal will be bumping up his average salary quite a bit. According to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, Cousins’ extension is reportedly worth $66 million, with $61 million of it being fully guaranteed.

More importantly, the quarterback’s new deal is lowering his 2020 cap hit by $10 million according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. So Minnesota not only locks up Cousins, but they free up a good chunk of money to spend in free agency.

After his first season with the Vikings didn’t go according to plan, some were unsure if Cousins could be the longterm answer for the team at quarterback. But in 2019, he stepped up his game in a big way and even helped Minnesota get an impressive playoff win over the heavily favored New Orleans Saints.

In his two years with Minnesota, Cousins has never missed a game due to injury while throwing for a total of 7,901 yards, 56 touchdowns, and just 16 interceptions. He already ranks seventh in Vikings team history in both passing yards and passing touchdowns.

With this extension, any thought of Minnesota using an early-round pick during this year’s NFL Draft on a young quarterback seems to be out the door.

The Vikings took a chance on Cousins back in 2018 and clearly he’s done enough for them to prove that he is worth a second deal. Minnesota is putting their faith in the veteran quarterback for the next three seasons. Will he lead them to the ultimate goal?