Extending Kirk Cousins
There was some speculation surrounding the future of Kirk Cousins this offseason. A reported trade inquiry from the Carolina Panthers ended up being nothing more than a rumor, and considering the previous relationship between the quarterback and head coach Kevin O’Connell, he was always going to stick around in some capacity.
Cousins would have been entering the final year of his deal in 2022, and according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the former Michigan State standout was unwilling to take any sort of discount on the guaranteed $45 million coming his way.
This backed the Vikings into a corner. If the team wanted some salary-cap relief, they would have to extend Cousins.
Something that came to fruition.
Cousins got a one-year extension with a fully guaranteed $35 million attached. Something that saves the Vikings some much-needed cash in the short-term, but the signal-caller will now have to repay this confidence by producing the goods when it counts.
Statistically speaking, Cousins has been one of the league’s better quarterbacks lately. Even if that hasn’t brought much in the way of team success over the last two seasons.
If the player cannot lead this team back to prominence in 2022, then the Vikings will be searching for a longer-term solution from what appears to be an exceptional draft class next year.