Kirk Cousins Will Demand an Enormous Contract in 2023
We now have a baseline for what Kirk Cousins will demand from the Vikings in the 2023 offseason. If the Vikings decide to give him one, the next Cousins extension will be enormous.
The Seahawks struck a three-year deal with Geno Smith for $35 million per year. Meanwhile, the Saints struck a deal with Derek Carr for $37.5 million annually for four years. These two contracts will likely be very similar to what Kirk Cousins will ask for.
Kirk Cousins Will Demand an Enormous Contract in 2023
Another wrench is that Daniel Jones reportedly opened his negotiations by asking for $48 million per year. And NFL insiders like Ian Rapoport believe that if a deal is made, the number will be in the $40+ million per year range.
All of this information points in one direction for Cousins. If the Vikings decide to sign him to a long-term contract, he will likely be paid an average of $40-42 million annually. This is an enormous contract but is workable in the current cap environment.
Although, it remains to be seen if that is the intention of the Vikings. Some Vikings beat writers, like Andrew Krammer and Ben Goessling, have the impression that the team is not overly eager to get a contract extension done immediately.
Therefore, as it stands, we really have no idea what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is planning. He could let Cousins play out this year and draft someone, do a short-term extension, or sign him to a three or four-year deal. None of these options are entirely off the table.
While we await a decision on Cousins and his contract, this is as good of a time as ever to discuss Adofo-Mensah and his philosophy.
How Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Navigates Team Building
We only have one offseason and a few press conferences to understand how KAM likes to navigate roster building. However, there is one quote that has stuck with me. He stated something to the effect of “do not perform a transaction until you absolutely have to.”
Why is this statement so crucial to understanding his philosophy?
We can use this to better understand how he will get the Vikings under the cap on March 15th. Essentially, he will not trade or cut players until absolutely required to. Exceptions will apply, like Eric Kendricks, where there is mutual respect for that player’s future. However, other players like Jordan Hicks will probably be negotiated with differently.
It is extremely likely that Hicks is no longer a Viking at some point this offseason. Although, KAM will wait to release him from the team until he signs a replacement. We saw this play out last offseason when they signed Harrison Phillips and released Michael Pierce.
This type of transaction is probably not a one-off thing that KAM will take. Instead, this is the very base of his approach to team building. Never release someone without having a plan in place to replace that player.
Now, getting back to Kirk Cousins and his contract:
The Vikings are not required to make a move on his contract to get under the salary cap. They have ample other options like restructuring O’Neill or extending Hockenson and Hunter. Therefore, they can sit and wait on his contract until after the draft.
What if the draft shakes out in such a way that the Vikings draft a quarterback that they really like? Well, they probably wouldn’t extend Kirk at that point, right? There were numerous reports that the team was spending a lot of time evaluating quarterbacks at the combine, so this is not a far-fetched idea.
However, if it doesn’t work out the way they want, then they can press the button and make a deal with him. Whether that is a short-term or long-term deal remains to be seen.
Only one thing is certain — they are not required to do anything right now and probably won’t.
Mitch Massman is a lifelong Vikings fan. His first heartbreak was the 1998 NFC championship game. His full-time job is as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He fantasizes about the Vikings winning a Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter @skol_vikings3
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