Get Ready for a “Discount Kirk” Talker Soon
Dustin Baker
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Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will enter his final season with the club this season — on paper.
Minnesota’s front office opted not to extend the 35-year-old this offseason, at least not yet, and his deal will end at the 2023 season’s conclusion.
Get Ready for a “Discount Kirk” Talker Soon
At $35 million per season, Cousins is the NFL’s 14th highest-paid passer, a ranking that will move down to No. 15 when Joe Burrow is extended. Not long ago, $35 million was an astronomical fee for a quarterback, but with the NFL’s QB market resetting annually, it’s actually below the “going rate” for a productive-not-elite passer in 2023.
The Vikings and Cousins personally have indicated for the last couple of months that contract extension talks will heat up next February or March, meaning an imminent agreement is unlikely. Minnesota appears set on watching as the 2023 campaign plays out to make a determination for the future at the QB1 spot.
And when February and March roll around, prepare for Discount Kirk chatter to heat up — because it has already begun.
Cousins, the fun-loving, aw-shucks dad quarterback, is also a shrewd businessman, or at least employs one of the shrewdest batches of representatives in all of sports. The man never plays on flimsy deals, always finding a pipeline to guaranteed cash. In fact, Cousins’ deals since the start of 2016 have all featured guaranteed money dating back to consecutive franchise tags in Washington.
Now, with Cousins hitting a contract year, some fans and media sources believe he could take a discount to remain in Minnesota beyond 2023. Despite evidence that Cousins habitually does the opposite — seizes guaranteed cash while fans debate if he’s actually a good football player — the next latest-and-greatest idea is the 2024 and 2025 version of Cousins on a team-friendly deal.
Star Tribune’s Jim Souhan wrote last weekend, “My information is that the Vikings like Cousins but think that if they tried to sign him to a deal this offseason, it would have complicated getting the Jefferson deal done, and would have required them to pay Cousins more than the Giants paid Daniel Jones, who received a four-year deal valued at $160 million.”
Justin Jefferson, too, is on deck for a behemoth extension, a deal that could be reached at any minute.
Souhan added about the Vikings mindset with Cousins via extension talks, “They don’t think Cousins is worth $45 or $50 million a year, and they think that if Cousins is facing free agency next season as he’s approaching his 36th birthday, he may find it preferable to do a reasonable deal with the Vikings and stay on the same team with Jefferson and with a coaching staff that knows him.”
If Cousins shed his longstanding philosophy and modus operandi, he could perhaps re-up in Minnesota for $35-$40 million annually. By that time, however, his true market value will approach the zone that Vikings apparently don’t enjoy — $45-$50 million.
In that circumstance, Cousins would have to decide if staying with Jefferson and the Gang at $35-$40 million is more ideal than nabbing $50 million from a team like the San Francisco 49ers or New England Patriots, for example.
The 2023 regular season is mere days away, and fans should focus on that. But before they know it, Cousins’ contract and future will dominate all Vikings-themed discussions. Kirk on a team-friendly deal will become all the rage.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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