Sep 30, 2007; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA: Minnesota Vikings alumni Chuck Foreman acknowledges the crowd as he is inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor at a half time ceremony in the game against the Green Bay Packers at the Metrodome. Mandatory credit: Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn US PRESSWIRE Copyright © Bruce Kluckhohn.
The Minnesota Vikings will either set sail on Year No. 7 with Kirk Cousins this September or start a new quarterback for the first time since 2018.
Those are the options, as Cousins is scheduled to hit free agency in one month. As of mid-February, Cousins remaining in Minnesota could genuinely break either way. It’s a 50-50.
If the decision were Chuck Foreman’s, though, Cousins would remain in purple. The legendary Vikings running back weighed in on the Cousins debate this week. He told FOX 9, “I think they should bring them back together. I think Kirk Cousins, when everything is in place, he’s one of the better quarterbacks in the game. Kirk Cousins is the guy we need.”
If the Vikings don’t ink an extension with Cousins, he could sign with a franchise like the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, or Pittsburgh Steelers. Those are the free-agent theories for March.
Meanwhile, another Vikings running back — a current one — wants Cousins back, too. Alexander Mattison said last week about Cousins on the Stacking the Box podcast, “I just pray that we get Kirk Cousins back because I love that guy. I’ve been playing with him since I got in, and he changes the game, for sure.”
Cousins is working his way back from a torn Achilles suffered last October in a win over the Green Bay Packers, will turn 36 this summer, and will likely fetch around $45 million via his next contract.
Foreman played seven seasons for the Vikings, from 1973 to 1979, and is the franchise’s fourth-leading rusher with 5,887 yards. The five-time Pro Bowler ranks second in Vikings history per rushing touchdowns and won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1973.
Superstar Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson also called for a Cousins extension last week at the Super Bowl’s radio row. “I would like him to stay. I would love to have him stay and have that connection with him. It’s going to be difficult to create that new connection with a whole new quarterback. Especially if we don’t know if we’re going to draft one, we don’t know if we’re going to pick one up. It’s a difficult situation. I would like to have him back,” Jefferson clarified.
What’s more, almost every notable Vikings leader has endorsed a Cousins reunion, although the price must fit in Minnesota’s budget. As always with Cousins, money is the sticking point.
Foreman was also asked about Jefferson’s upcoming extension and elaborated, “I don’t know, but they better do it. The longer they wait, the more it’s going to cost.”
The Vikings placed Foreman into the Ring of Honor in 2007.
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.