The million-dollar question surrounding the Minnesota Vikings this offseason is their quarterback, Kirk Cousins. With him set to hit free agency in just three weeks, the Vikings will have to make a quick decision on him.
The key dates for Cousins are March 11th (the legal tampering period begins) and March 12th (Cousins’ contract voids). In order to figure out what the Vikings will do, they need to have discussions with Cousins and his camp.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer released his Monday morning column and talked about where things are at with the Vikings and Cousins currently.
Because of some creative timing in his contract (his current deal voids after the deadline to tag a player is passed), Cousins can’t be franchised by the Vikings, so all he has to do to become available to the other 31 teams is, well, do nothing contractually until mid-March.
At this point, it makes the most sense for him to do that. The current Minnesota brass, now going into its third season, really likes Cousins, but it’s also been made clear that they’re not going to go contractually where the previous regime did twice, and give Cousins a fully guaranteed deal. Absent that, Cousins is now in position to hit the market like he did six years ago, this time older and, of course, more injured.
What sort of price Cousins will be able to command is another question. Derek Carr and Garoppolo did pretty well on the B-level market last year, as did Geno Smith, so something like $30 million would seem to be attainable. Is $40 million or $45 million per in reach? That’s a good question, as is how far the Vikings would be willing to go to keep Cousins.
For what it’s worth, the Vikings did touch base with Cousins’ camp last week, as they got their pre-combine meetings going, so the lines of communication are open. More clarity could come in Indianapolis next week.
The biggest piece of information here is that the Vikings have touched base with Cousins’ camp. When speaking about his contract, Cousins has spoken about how discussions would begin in March. Why March? The scouting combine is the first weekend in March and it becomes a bevy of tampering and information. By waiting until March, Cousins will have a much better sense of what other teams might be willing to offer, therefore strengthening his negotiating position with the Vikings.
We don’t know how this will play out, especially with the money per year that Cousins will end up commanding coming off of his torn Achilles tendon. However, the next two weeks will provide a lot of information on the subject.
