Extension for Kirk Cousins seems unlikely in 2023 after recent Vikings move

The chances of another extension for Kirk Cousins from the Minnesota Vikings appear to have plummeted after a move by the team on Tuesday.

Things already seemed to be heading in this direction, but it appears that the chances of another Kirk Cousins extension from the Minnesota Vikings are very low this offseason after the team shuffled a bunch of his remaining money to create additional cap space on Tuesday.

NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport revealed that the Vikings executed a cap conversion to Cousins’ contract on Tuesday, and the move ended up freeing $16 million in much-needed cap space, according to the Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling.

Why another extension for Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins now seems unlikely

A cap conversion move like Minnesota reportedly made on Tuesday is significant since the transaction was done with Cousins’ current contract.

If the Vikings and their starting quarterback were able to agree to a new extension, then cap space would have likely been created from that since the team would have been able to spread out his money over multiple years.

Instead, more of the remaining money on Cousins’ current contract will be spread over a total of four void years that are attached to the end of his deal in 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027. He already had two void years at the end of his current contract, but two more void years were apparently added with this cap conversion, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Cousins still appears to be the quarterback that Minnesota will trot out as their starter in 2023. But it really sounds like the Vikings are gearing up to go in a new direction at the quarterback spot in 2024.