Only one thing will prevent Kirk Cousins from parting with Vikings in 2022

A turnaround is possible, but a 1-3 start this season has pretty much already sealed the fate of Kirk Cousins as a member of the Minnesota Vikings.

A few weeks after a successful 2017 season ended with a disappointing loss in the NFC Championship, the Minnesota Vikings began a relationship with free-agent quarterback that was expected to help the franchise win its first-ever Vince Lombardi trophy.

Instead, Cousins and the Vikings missed the playoffs in two of his first three seasons with the team, and with Minnesota starting 1-3 this year, it’s already looking likely that the team will miss out on the postseason again.

Cousins‘ current contract with the Vikings is set to expire in 2023, but the quarterback’s tenure with the franchise will probably come to an end before then. However, there is actually one way he can stick around in Minnesota a little after 2023 if that’s what he desires.

Super Bowl or bust for Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2021

Making the playoffs, or even getting a win in the playoffs, won’t be good enough to convince the Vikings to keep Cousins past this season.

In order for Minnesota to feel comfortable with extending the veteran quarterback in 2022 or let him play the final year of his contract on the team, he will likely have to lead the Vikings to at least a spot in this season’s Super Bowl.

Maybe if Cousins is able to help Minnesota to the NFC Championship and the contest ends up being close, then the team might be willing to give him another shot in 2022. But it definitely wouldn’t be as easy of a decision to make compared to if the quarterback led the Vikings to the Super Bowl.

Why must Cousins lead Minnesota to the Super Bowl this season to continue on with the franchise in 2022 one might ask? Well, it’s what the Vikings signed him to do.

Minnesota viewed him as a final piece in 2018 that could get them over the hump and into the Super Bowl. The Vikings haven’t been able to accomplish this goal during Cousins’ first three years and it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen this season, so why should the team continue their underwhelming relationship with this 33-year-old quarterback?

But what if he performs exceptionally well in 2021 and Minnesota still doesn’t make the playoffs or get far into the playoffs if they end up qualifying? That’s fine, it will just boost his trade value when the Vikings make him available in the 2022 offseason.

But who is going to be interested in acquiring Cousins if he doesn’t work out in Minnesota? Every year, there are always teams in need of an experienced quarterback, and these teams think that they can be the ones to finally get the best out of said signal-caller.

This past offseason, Teddy Bridgewater and Carson Wentz were both traded after having disappointing performances in 2020. The majority of teams around the NFL would rather have Cousins on their roster than Bridgewater or Wentz, so the Vikings finding a trade partner in 2022 shouldn’t be too difficult.

So unless Minnesota makes the Super Bowl this season (and hopefully they do), we could be seeing the final months of Cousins in purple and gold uniform.