Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports
In the next 7.5 weeks, the Minnesota Vikings must decide if incumbent quarterback Kirk Cousins fits in their budgetary plans for 2024 and beyond.
The 35-year-old is scheduled to hit free agency in March, and if Minnesota’s front office is in the mood, it can reunite with the veteran signal-caller for a seventh season.
As always with Cousins, the kicker will be money. Whether he and the Vikings can meet in the middle on an extension is the deal sealer — or breaker — and fans will learn the outcome before March 11th, when free agency’s “legal tampering” period begins.
This week, though, Cousins offered bittersweet comments about his future, updating the world on his injury recovery timetable and, out of nowhere, his enthusiasm to play for Bill Belichick if the former New England Patriots boss lands a job with the Atlanta Falcons.
Cousins, recovering from a torn Achilles suffered at Lambeau Field in late October, replied to Isabel Gonzalez when she asked if he’d enjoy playing for Bill Belichick, “I’m not going to turn down an opportunity to play with a future Hall of Fame coach, but we’ll have to see where March leads. There’s just a lot of unknowns right now.”
Of course, he didn’t proactively name his next team or anything of the sort, but per Cousins’ usual vernacular, an answer of “I’m just focused on getting back to the Vikings” would’ve been more on-brand. But not this week, as folks have speculated the Falcons could be the number-one-with-a-bullet-destination if Cousins departs Minnesota via free agency.
That’s the bitter part: Cousins seems rather willing to entertain non-Vikings plots in the future.
Meanwhile, the Vikings’ second-leading passer of all time updated his recovery timetable. “My expectation is that I’ll be able to practice during OTAs as normal. But the question will be, is it worth it? And so you have to weigh that a little bit. But my goal would be that I’m saying I can go, and you guys are going to have to stop me because I feel that good. If I’m not allowed into the full-team drills, I know I can do basically a full-speed practice on the field next to it is pretty much my goal,” Cousins told Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi.
This is the sweet aspect, especially for Vikings fans who want Cousins back in 2024. He’ll assuredly be ready for Week 1 of 2024 and maybe even OTAs.
Cousins was on pace for 5,000 passing yards, 38 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions before succumbing to the injury against the Packers three months ago. The Vikings finished 2-6 in games without Cousins.
His next contract is expected to fetch between $40 and 50 million per year, although some Vikings faithful think he’ll return at a “hometown discount.”
Cousins will turn 36 in August.
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.