ESPN Updates the Kirk Cousins Situation with 2 Hours before Free Agency
All of the NFL world remains on Kirk Cousins Watch, as free agency opened Monday, with players legally allowed to chat with new teams at 11:00 am CST.
ESPN Updates the Kirk Cousins Situation with 2 Hours before Free Agency
For context on the weight of Cousins’ free agency, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweeted Monday morning, “The entire league is waiting for the Kirk Cousins’ decision as it truly shapes so much of this free agency. Teams not even in the QB market want and need to know.”
The Vikings didn’t extend Cousins last year, setting up a grand climax — like now — on his future in Minnesota. Last week, the scales tipped to indicate Cousins’ exit, perhaps joining the Atlanta Falcons. That may still materialize, but also on Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter struck a different tone about Cousins’ would-be departure.
Schefter made it sound like Cousins is more likely to stay.
“The Vikings have been working to re-sign him. And I don’t think that it’s just going to be easy to get Kirk Cousins out of Minnesota. I think that they’re having discussion with him about keeping him there,” Schefter said on ESPN airwaves.
Cousins has totally dominated the Vikings’ offseason plans and dominoes, a predictable occurrence after the purple team didn’t extend the man last offseason. For weeks, months even, Vikings fans have wondered how Cousins’ future would turn out, and a verdict is near.
Schefter added about Cousins, “Obviously, you’d rather keep your family there. That’s very important to him. He likes the situation there. And I don’t think it would be a surprise if Kirk Cousins wound up staying in Minnesota.”
The veteran passer was on pace for 5,000 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2023 before an Achilles tear ended his season. Minnesota finished 3-6 without Cousins, a 7-10 record in total, and missing the playoffs in head coach Kevin O’Connell’s second year.
Then, after a Week 18 loss to the Lions that ended Minnesota’s faint playoff hopes, all eyes immediately turned to Cousins. He is the almighty offseason domino. Vikings history depends on his decision. If Minnesota doesn’t re-up with Cousins, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is expected to draft a quarterback in April. Caleb Williams (USC), Drake Maye (North Carolina), Jayden Daniels (LSU), Michael Penix Jr. (Washington), J.J. McCarthy (Michigan), and Bo Nix (Oregon) are expected to go off the board in Rounds 1 and 2.
Cousins hasn’t embarked on the NFL’s free-agent marketplace since 2018 and is considered the NFL’s top prize in free agency, next to Kansas City Chiefs defender Chris Jones, who signed a megadeal with the Chiefs on Saturday night.
The Cousins verdict is a true coinflip, and Schefter’s comments indicate Minnesota shouldn’t be ruled out as his 2024 employer.
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.