More Credible Evidence Suggests Kirk Cousins Will Remain with Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback will slap a $45 million cap hit against the team’s financial ledger in 2022 if new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah does nothing at all.
But that won’t happen.
Cousins will either be traded to a team like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Denver Broncos, or Adofo-Mensah will extend him, spreading the $45 million across two extra years. Minnesota used a similar tactic in 2020, shrinking Cousins’ cap hit to $21 million that season and backloading the deal.
The Cousins trade chatter will be the most popular Vikings topic with the hires of Adofo-Mensah and new head coach Kevin O’Connell in the backdrop until a Cousins decision is made.
On Sunday. credible evidence surfaced, indicating Cousins is likely to remain with the Vikings, especially as the new head coach worked with Cousins for one season in Washington. ESPN’s Adam Schefter revealed the clues, saying the following:
“Here’s the thing you have to keep in mind: They’re going to be bringing in (head coach) Kevin O’Connell. Kevin O’Connell worked with Kirk Cousins in Washington. Kirk Cousins endorsed Kevin O’Connell for that job. One of the reasons Kevin kind of wants that (Minnesota) job is because of Kirk Cousins. There’s a relationship. So that tells me that Minnesota and Kirk Cousins will figure out something, and maybe come up with a restructured contract that adds years on for Kirk Cousins and gives the Vikings salary cap relief this offseason, to give them more money to spend on other players.”
Adam Schefler | ESPN
While Adofo-Mensah is a total wildcard — nobody knows anything about him, aside from his obvious class and intelligence — hiring O’Connell seems like a tip of the cap to keep Cousins. Plus, better quarterbacks on the free-agent docket aren’t waiting to sign with the Vikings. Sure, Minnesota could concoct a biblical deal for a quarterback like Deshaun Watson or Russell Wilson, but those would have Herschel Walker vibes. Minnesotans don’t like Herschel Walker vibes.
And if it isn’t a trade for Wilson or Watson, the only viable alternative is trading Cousins for draft picks, using the NFL draft to find a rookie quarterback. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals proved in the last five years that isn’t a bad idea. So, it’s decisions, decisions for Adofo-Mensah.
But in terms of likelihood, Cousins will probably be the QB1 in September. O’Connell leaves a program in Los Angeles where the team signed a quarterback in Matthew Stafford, who only needed a stellar surrounding cast to reach the Super Bowl. O’Connell watched it happen — firsthand. Cousins and Stafford are not statistical worlds apart, so he may believe he can replicate the Rams success.
Adam Schefter’s words echo that sentiment. Too, Schefter doesn’t typically announce whimsical opinions. They’re generally rooted in conversations with applicable parties.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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