With the Vikings changing regimes, the status of their four-year starting quarterback has understandably come up. Kirk Cousins carries the NFL’s third-highest 2022 cap hit, at $45MM, and is going into a contract year.
Minnesota attempted to trade up for Justin Fields last year and did select Kellen Mond early in the third round. But Cousins remains in place as the team’s starter. New head coach Kevin O’Connell responded to a Thursday question regarding Cousins’ status by indicating (via the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson, on Twitter) the 33-year-old passer is under contract. The former Rams OC followed that token endorsement up by saying he does expect Cousins to be the Vikings’ 2022 starter.
“I know he’s under contract, and I’m excited to coach him,” O’Connell said. “We’ve already started thinking about how we’re going to build our system for him. … I’m anticipating Kirk being a part of what we’re going to do.”
[RELATED: Cousins Wants To Finish Career With Vikings]
O’Connell compared Cousins to Matthew Stafford, calling each an “elite thrower,” via Tomasson (on Twitter). Despite entering the league three years after Stafford, Cousins is also going into his age-34 season. Cousins is attached to a fully guaranteed $35MM base salary. It would help the Vikings if Cousins agreed to another extension, which would allow the team to reduce his 2022 cap hit, but ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin does not get the sense the quarterback’s camp is eager to enter such discussions just yet. The 11th-year quarterback possesses considerable leverage, given his guaranteed salary and Minnesota’s lack of options behind him.
If Cousins plays out his contract ahead of another free agency run in 2023, it would hurt the Vikes’ ability to complement him. A report out of Minnesota over the weekend pointed to this scenario playing out. The team holds the NFL’s fifth-worst cap situation at present, sitting more than $16MM over the projected 2022 salary ceiling. But the former Washington QB has been in one of the most advantageous negotiating positions in NFL history, having arrived in Minnesota on a fully guaranteed three-year deal in 2018.
Teams eyeing Cousins in trades would want the Vikings to eat some of his salary, which would increase trade compensation. For now, Cousins is on track to work with O’Connell again. O’Connell was in place as Washington’s QBs coach in 2017, Cousins’ final season with the NFC East team.
One of the most under-rated and under appreciated quarterbacks in all of football. It’s mind boggling why the NFL media want him traded
Dude. You’re so right on this. No one can specifically state why they hate him other than what the media told them so. They are the same geniuses that say football is the ultimate team sport but vote w-l record for Cousins.
They don’t understand that statistically the Vikings had the worst defense in the league this past year. Yet either the Coach or QB takes the blame, and the media runs with it that Watson wants to play for them. Smh
We also led the league in 3 and outs. Which hurts defense
I have watched every single Vikings game every year since about 1982. Cousins does have some very good skills as a QB, but he is just not the QB that will lead a team to wins. He has always been more worried about stats like completion % then trying to do the big things to win. He will NEVER take a chance to let the skill players around him make a play, choosing for the safe 4yd pass on 3 and 12 every time. There are times to play it safe and there are times that you have to try and make a great play…Cousins will never try to make the difficult play.
Yes, defense was not very good at all last year and the O line was still not very good either. But there is always 3-4 times A GAME that Cousins has the chance to make a play by throwing into a very small window…and he doesn’t, he just checks down. That is the knock on him.
I’m sure the reasons why he doesn’t attempt to make big plays is because he doesn’t want to throw any picks which I can’t blame him. But I do see your point. I’m a packer fan and lived thru the Favre era in which he threw a ton as good as he was. But to see some QB’s not throw many picks like Rodgers, cousins is nice to see
It’s nice to see when the team is winning games. But when they are losing games, if magnifies the things that aren’t done to win.