Minnesota Vikings Contract Drama Unfolds
Minnesota Vikings & Kirk Cousins contract drama is surfacing, and leaks are coming from all of the insiders. They are all geared towards Kirk and his upcoming contract negotiations, and the annual price for his services. It is more than understood that The Vikings and Kirk are both feeling the aftermath of last season, and what that could possibly mean. The team itself, cycling 4 quarterbacks through the duration of the season, looking in every possible direction for hope, inspiration, and leadership from the quarterback position.
Rollercoaster Season
Turning to rookie QB Jalen Hall, only to fall to a concussion on just his second career drive as an NFL starter (week 9, Nov. 5th vs, Atl). On the contrary, at that time new free agent Joshua Dobbs led the Minnesota Vikings to a 31-28 win! With his off schedule play making and, almost dare I say, reckless backyard ball playstyle. And, although he rode that wave, the “Passtronaut” mania ensued and got them to possibly the hottest 2 quarters of football of the 2023 season, only to end up winning 27-19 over the New Orleans Saints.
Then following up with losses to the Broncos, and Bears by a total of 3 points, which would unavoidably give
way to Nick Mullens. Mullens who was freshly off of injury reserve, was awarded the starting quarterback job early on in Las Vegas on Dec. 10th facing off against the Raiders. Nick Mullens would the finish off the season for the 8 win Minnesota Vikings.
Evaluation of Kirk Cousins’ Worth
Let’s talk about Kirk Cousins’ worth for a minute. Not just his market value, but what he brought to the team. In production and leadership, wearing That Captain badge on his chest proudly, putting up some really amazing numbers in the process. Although the Vikings got off to a 1-4 record, Kirk’s 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns had him on pace headed towards an MVP caliber type season.
With that taken in to consideration, and the season he had prior leading Minnesota to a 13-4 record and a division title, now recovering from his surgically repaired Achilles tendon. That being said, Kirk Cousins is yielding a 39.6 million dollars per year. Some would consider this number to be low according to his rank as the 11th best QB in the NFL currently.
The Future of Kirk Cousins
Now comes the question: Is Kirk Cousins going to remain a Minnesota Viking or is he going to be wearing a different uniform and taking snaps for another team come this 2024 season? Some teams that are considered to be the most likely landing spot or the best fit for Kirk. Although the Pittsburgh Steelers had showed interest and had been reported to be in the market for Cousins (36 years old.) They have sense then expressed they are disinterested in exploring the possible signing of Vikings Quarterback.
Some other possible teams would be the Raiders, the Washington football team, and possibly the, under the radar, Denver Broncos. The most talked about fit would be the Atlanta Falcons, as there are reports of the two parties talking. much more to come from this drawn out contract talk and discussions.
Cousins’ Contract Preferences
Kirk Cousins cares more about the structure and guaranteed money in his new contract, and this has been expressed by Kirk through his words and actions with his previous contract extensions. He would much more like to see more money in signing and upfront over the course of his first season. And, he would like to take that over a long drawn out high-dollar amount per season over the course the next three
seasons. Unfortunately here is where the problem lies. with this Draft class being very rich in potential franchise quarterbacks and Kirk Cousins needing to re-prove himself coming off injury. Minnesota Vikings front office and Kirk Cousins may possibly be in the market for two different things.