The longtime perennial Vikings quarterback sits at a familiar spot in his contract– says he “wants to stay in Minnesota”. So, what happens now to Kirk Cousins?
Kirk Cousins has been through this before. Many times actually. The perennial Vikings star who has been the staple of the organization since his arrival in Minneapolis over five years ago sits at a crossroads with his contract. Entering the first contract year he’s had with the Vikings in his tenure, Cousins steps foot upon a slippery slope, one that may extend his future with the organization or one that sends him packing elsewhere.
This isn’t Kirk Cousins’ first rodeo. He’s used to it, being an underdog, not being offered stability, and being counted out when the time comes to making a decision. Since Cousins was drafted in 2012, he’s had four contract years, four times where the end of the year was uncertain. Times he’s felt there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Four times he’s had to prove his skill to the very organization he plays for.
“It’s more the norm than the exception,” Kirk Cousins said in a Wednesday press conference. “I think the exception is that you have something penciled in for future years. Most of our locker have no idea what’s coming in three or four months, let alone three or four years or next year. So, I feel like I’m one of the guys, like we’re all in this together, that’s the way this thing works, and I think it’s part of what makes this league great. Because everybody has an edge. Everybody’s working, everybody’s got something to prove. Nobody can operate with entitlement or comfort or put in less than their best, and I think that’s the best thing about our league.”
In 2022, Cousins led Minnesota to their best season yet in six years since the team lost in a blowout to the Eagles in the 2017 NFC Championship Game. Last year, the Vikings were 13-4 and made it to a Wild Card slot until they were stifled by a stout New York defense. In five seasons as the Vikings quarterback, Cousins has netted two playoff appearances and only one win. Is he really the long-term option?
“Kirk doesn’t need to show anything to me,” Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said. “Kirk has played football at a high level before I got to the Minnesota Vikings. Last year, we won 13 games. I don’t know what he would need to prove to me or anybody else.”
Now, that’s not to say Cousins has been the chief culprit of a dysfunctional Vikings organization in the past. The ex-Michigan State quarterback’s play has been marred by poor offensive line play, coaching turnover, missing pieces on defense, and a complete lack of continuity on offense. Cousins has for the past couple of years however been able to enjoy a star-studded offense which at times has featured TJ Hockenson, Justin Jefferson, KJ Osborn, Adam Thielen, and Dalvin Cook all on the field at the same time. The favorable situation has amounted to nothing but a measly aforementioned Wild Card appearance– leaving the organization and the fans presumably wanting more.
The age old question of what side the contract negotiation falls on comes back into play. For most teams– it’s a metaphorical tug-of-war. The Vikings want flexibility while Cousins seeks long-term security. With Kirk Cousins due to count $36.25 against the cap in 2023, that’s a hard pill for any team to swallow.
Rarely do franchise quarterbacks ever take pay cuts, and with the way the QB market has exploded— it’s understandable why the stage is as nebulous as it is. Adofo-Mensah has been anything but clear-cut in regards to the status of a contract, as the end isn’t nigh, however close it might seem
“When you go into a contract negotiation, you’re trying to come up with solutions together,” Adofo-Mensah said after the draft. “It’s not just what I want or the Vikings want or even what Kirk wants. It’s what we can do together and ultimately put together that Lombardi. Sometimes you come to a place where it’s like, let’s talk later, this is the solution for now. That’s all that’s happened… Every option is open to us going forward, and we’re just really excited about Kirk this year, the weapons we’ve added in free agency, the weapons we’ve added in the draft, and we’ll see what happens after that.”
WASHINGTON GETS BOUGHT: Josh Harris Buys Washington Commanders For $6 Billion
“I learned that you’ve gotta focus on winning football games,” Kirk Cousins said. “If you win and do your part and put your work in, the rest will take care of itself.”
While the Vikings didn’t make headlines by palpably drafting Cousin’s successor in the draft, they did select quarterback Jarren Hall in the 5th round. While possibly just another Kellen Mond backup situation, Hall is an intriguing prospect– featuring all the tangible traits to become a starter in a quick passing Minnesota system.
Cousins knows that the new contract won’t be handed to him, after all– this isn’t exactly his first run around the track. Rewinding to Cousins’ Michigan State era, he wasn’t even the Spartans’ top recruit. In 2006, when the coaching staff in East Lansing switched over, the team lost the commitment of their next in line young QB, forcing the Spartans to turn to Cousins.
Plastered across the front page of the Lansing State Journal was a story that read, “Michigan State didn’t get the quarterback it originally hoped for from the west side of the state.”
Yikes.
When it finally came time for the MSU standout, who did in fact prove haters wrong, to get drafted, he wasn’t even the only quarterback drafted by his team. Picked first by the Washington Redskins– now Commanders, in the 2012 NFL Draft was Robert Griffin III. Cousins wasn’t even invited to the draft nor heard his name called until the fourth round. Since then he’s made the playoffs for Washington, outlived RGIII’s career despite being his understudy, and shipped off to Minnesota where he also led the Vikings to the playoffs.
If this is all sounding like a true underdog story, that’s because it is. If you think that gives Kirk Cousins any sort of special privileges, you’re wrong.
“In this league, there should never be entitlement,” Cousins said. “You’ve always got to go play, and teams can do whatever they want to do. That’s their prerogative. You just go to work. You do the best you can. I’m encouraged and excited because I do feel like I’ve got a lot of good football ahead of me.”
So, what happens to Kirk Cousins? That depends. If he has a great year, there’s no reason to not sign him. He’s been good enough and has proven he can win the NFC North. If he doesn’t, Jarren Hall or whoever the Vikings pickup to segue themselves into a favorable position seems like the best move.
Whatever happens, it’s quite simple where Cousins wants to end up.
“I want to be in Minnesota,” he said. “Yeah, that’s kind of a no-brainer, so hopefully we can earn the right to do that. I’ve always said that. When I say I would like to be in Minnesota, there’s a lot of things I would like to have, but you’ve got to go earn it. That’s kind of where I’m at.”
