In a year where several quarterback-needy teams may be shut out from the top NFL draft prospects at the position, Kirk Cousins appears set to be the next signal caller to sign a mega-deal.
The Minnesota Vikings signed Cousins to a reworked one-year contract in 2023 for $35 million, but even after rupturing his Achilles tendon last season is primed to be the top veteran quarterback option available, should he reach free agency.
As former NFL agent, and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry points out, Cousins was just hitting stride before getting injured last season and seems primed to parlay his fast start to 2023 into a mega-deal ahead of 2024.
“Adjusting Cousins’ soon-to-be-expiring one-year contract extension worth $35 million he signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2022 for salary cap inflation would put him just below $43 million per year,” Corry explains for CBS Sports. “Asking for slightly under this mark accounts for the season-ending torn right Achilles injury Cousins suffered in a Week 8 contest against the Green Bay Packers when he was arguably playing the best football of his 12-year NFL career.
“This 2022 extension included voiding 2024 and 2025 contract years for cap purposes. A 2023 contract restructure tacked on voiding 2026 and 2027 contract years to create $16 million of 2023 cap space. All four years void when the 2023 league year ends on March 13.”
While Corry believes Cousins’ new contract could come in at $125 million over three years, which equates to approximately $41.66 million AAV, Spotrac projects Cousins to ink a deal that makes him the 11th-highest-paid quarterback in the NFL.
The #Falcons, in a lot of ways, control the quarterback market this offseason.
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Atlanta Falcons Could Pilfer Kirk Cousins
If the Vikings are unable to re-sign Cousins before free agency gets underway, there has been plenty of speculation that he could wind up signing with the Atlanta Falcons.
Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot could view Cousins’ veteran stability as exactly what Atlanta needs to maximize a young and explosive cast of offensive weapons that includes running back Bijan Robinson, wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts.
If the Falcons are as aggressive this offseason as they are telegraphing they might be, potentially also trading for an All-Pro wide receiver to pair opposite London, dropping Cousins into that offense could propel Atlanta to the top of a winnable NFC South.
Atlanta’s likely interest in Cousins looming, could provide added motivation for the Minnesota Vikings to find a way to reach an accord with the veteran quarterback before the new league year begins.