Kirk Cousins would love to finish his career with the Minnesota Vikings, even though he’s putting them through the same negotiating dance he did with the Washington Commanders.
“My mindset was really to be a Viking,” Cousins said at a media conference appearance. “I would like to retire as a Viking, and so I would like to play my way into that, if you will. I know I’ve got to earn the right to do that.”
Cousins might really want to retire a Viking, but—there’s always a “but”—the team would have to continue to foot the hefty bill to retain his services.
And therein lies the problem.
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah called an audible directly out of the Rick Spielman playbook by agreeing to a short-term extension on what was already a bad deal with Cousins. The move alleviated what would have been the third-highest salary cap hit in the league among NFL quarterbacks.
So the Vikings essentially kicked the can down the road, while tacking on an additional year of $35 million guaranteed and a no trade clause.
Cousins – 1, Adofo-Mensah – 0
No, I don’t expect Cousins to retire a Viking, but could I envision a scenario where the team desperately clings to his services like the previous regime?
Absolutely.
It’s hard to hit the reboot button at the most important position on the field, especially when the man has three Pro Bowl selections to his name. There are desperate teams in the league that would love to have Cousins starting under center. Quarterback hell is a real place that some have to dwell at on a yearly basis.
Just ask the Buffalo Bills what life was like before they drafted Josh Allen or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before Tom Brady picked them as his new team. The sultry heat from the beaming microscope on the never-ending quarterback carousel in Tampa was hotter than the Florida sun.
Cousins looks the part, but he isn’t an elite quarterback like Brady and Allen. He’s a borderline bubble top-10 player under center being paid like he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the game.
But the mere fact that finding an elite pro quarterback is like finding a hair in U.S. Bank Stadium always gives him leverage at the negotiating table. Even as a really good quarterback, he’s in tune with the reality that they’re aren’t a lot of players out there as good as he is at his job.
And teams fall for it every time.
Let’s say Cousins puts up similar numbers to last season—4,221 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions. However, this time, the Vikings actually make the playoffs. Even if they don’t win a playoff game, it would increase his chances of landing an even more lucrative long-term deal with the team.
A dramatic shift is coming with most of the top quarterbacks leaving for the AFC, and in the NFC, the road is wide open for a competent Vikings team to at least do well enough to clinch their first postseason berth in three years.
So it’s easy to envision a situation where the team gets stuck on the hamster wheel with Cousins as the starter, even if it comes at the expense of other moves, such as extending star wideout Justin Jefferson to a future massive deal.
What’s a better option than Cousins right now? Unless the team shocks the world and takes a quarterback with the No. 12 overall pick of the 2022 NFL draft, there aren’t a lot of options outside of sticking with their leading man.
Sean Mannion is a permanent backup, and Kellen Mond couldn’t even get on the field in a meaningless game for a lame-duck head coach.
Even in the 2023 season, the Vikings aren’t likely to be in range of drafting Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud or Alabama’s Bryce Young, which means they’d be met with the same option of rolling the dice on a reboot or continuing to play it safe with Cousins.
The latter option might not win Super Bowls, but it’ll get them to the dance and preserve the notion that they’re at least being competitive. That seems to be good enough for Vikings owner Mark Wilf.
MORE OF THE SAME: #Vikings owner Mark Wilf says "anything can happen" if you just make the playoffs. 😐😑 pic.twitter.com/atMLTLNgz8
— SKOR North (@SKORNorth) March 30, 2022
Cousins might not retire a Viking, but in all likelihood, he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
