New Team Headlines 2024 Odds for Kirk Cousins
Dustin Baker
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Will they or won’t they on Kirk Cousins’ future has predictably dominated all Minnesota Vikings-themed talkers since the club’s offseason began 2.5 weeks ago.
New Team Headlines 2024 Odds for Kirk Cousins
Sometime in the next 6.5 weeks, the Vikings will determine Cousins’ fate. He’ll either be back on a short-term deal or embark on free agency for the first time since 2018. Cousins could command between $40-$50 million on the open market, which may be too steep for the Vikings, a franchise nearing the subsequent phases in its “competitive rebuild.” Some Vikings faithful have hoped or suggested he’ll return to Minneapolis on a “hometown discount,” which would check in around $30-39 million per season.
But according to Bookies, the Vikings are no longer the frontrunner to employ Cousins in 2024 and beyond. That designation belongs to the Las Vegas Raiders. Yes, them — oddsmakers evidently believe the Raiders will hop, skip, and jump between Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Kirk Cousins in back-to-back-to-back seasons.
What a world.
These are live odds for Cousins’ 2024 services:
- Raiders: +400
- Falcons: +425
- Patriots: +500
- Vikings: +600
- Commanders: +750
- Steelers: +950
- Broncos: +1200
- Seahawks: +1400
Although Cousins-to-Raiders feels unlikely because Las Vegas will probably draft a rookie quarterback in April’s draft or roll with Aidan O’Connell, one prominent Raider announced his respect for Cousins this week. Adams recently appeared on the Two Gs in a Pod podcast, and among a handful of topics, including the full-time hire of Raiders skipper Antonio Pierce, Adams was open about a quarterback he’d like to team up with at some point. Lo and behold, Cousins made the cut.
“I like Kirk Cousins. I think Kirk Cousins is a really good quarterback. As far as availability, I think Kirk’s a good player,” Adams replied.
Cousins tore his Achilles tendon on October 29th at Lambeau Field in a win over the Green Bay Packers, ending his season while the Vikings finished the season 3-6 without the QB1. He was on pace for 5,000 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions before the injury, also known as MVP-caliber numbers. His offseason status is more up in the air than ever in 2024. Minnesota could let him walk and draft a rookie quarterback, extend him and not draft a quarterback, or re-up with Cousins and draft a rookie passer.
Meanwhile, the Raiders will kick off a fresh season in 2024 with the aforementioned Pierce as the full-time head coach. He shed the interim label a few days ago. In theory, the Raiders could sign Cousins and hope to make it work, but one might think they should’ve learned their lesson with a decade of Carr and the failed Garoppolo experiment this season.
Las Vegas also owns the 13th pick in April’s draft.
So, if Bookies is to be trusted, add the Raiders to the list of free-agent destinations for Cousins. NFL free agency begins on March 11th with the “legal tampering” period.
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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