4 options the Vikings have with Kirk Cousins in 2022

Vikings restructure Kirk Cousins

There might be a way for the Vikings to keep Kirk Cousins and acquire more salary-cap space to make the necessary improvements. Restructuring the player’s deal by spreading out his salary or converting some of it into a signing bonus kicks the can down the road, so to speak, but it also represents an intriguing possibility if no changes are made to the coaching staff or behind the scenes.

This would require a team-first mentality from Cousins. Something that Tom Brady’s done plenty throughout his glittering career to keep quality players around him at all times.

Money clearly motivates Cousins, as it does most people. But whether spread payments or another potential avenue is something he’d consider on the final year of his deal is up for debate.

Things are really hanging in the balance right now. Minnesota threatened to be a real force at one stage this season without lacking any consistency, and although ownership is among the league’s most loyal, this might just be the tipping point when it’s all said and done.

Cousins could do everyone a favor by agreeing to something like this. But the player might be more willing to sign an extension, in all honesty.

Whether the Vikings are willing to give him that, nobody knows at this juncture. Obviously, this only adds to the intrigue surrounding an offseason that’s going to shift the landscape in Minnesota one way or another.