Con: How much will re-signing Cousins cost the franchise?
Before Cousins injured his Achilles, he was looking at a payday in 2024 in the range of $25-$30 million. That’s for one year. Because of his injury, maybe the Vikings can ask for a discount. The problem is, it will still cost significant dollars to re-sign Cousins and spend money on key free agents.
Thankfully, even with possible salary cap issues, Cousins has shown a willingness in the past to play for a discount. Apparently, he told the Vikings this past summer that he would take less money if they signed him for multiple years. According to sources, Minnesota declined. There haven’t been reports of bad blood between team management and Cousins, so it should be safe to say that the two sides can go back to the negotiating table and find a win-win situation.
The Vikings may only be able to rent Cousins for one more year, but (knock on wood) if he stays healthy and Minnesota gets back to the playoffs and does well, the sky’s the limit. It just might be enough to make the franchise bring him back long term despite the cost.
Bottom line: Yes, Cousins sustained a serious injury, but he has been reliable, healthy, and consistent. He’s a good locker-room presence and well-liked by his teammates. Furthermore, there are only a handful of true franchise quarterbacks in the NFL, and believe it or not, Cousins is one of them. It’s simply not worth it for Minnesota to let him go and spend the better part of the next decade finding his replacement.