The general consensus has long been that Kirk Cousins will return to the Minnesota Vikings this offseason, but if his new contract demands are accurate, we may have to re-evaluate Cousins’ most likely destination in free agency.
Charley Waters of The St. Paul Pioneer Press says that Cousins is now looking for a two-year deal worth $90 million in guaranteed money to secure him. He adds that the Vikings will “certainly” not be the team to give him that type of contract.
Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has said that the team wants to keep Cousins while also maintaining financial flexibility. It’s hard to imagine that he will consider paying Cousins $45 million a year as financially feasible.
Cousins will be 36 years old at the start of next season and is coming off of a torn Achilles, so you can definitely see why the Vikings may have some trepidation about bringing him back.
It should be noted that Cousins was brilliant prior to going down with the injury this past season, throwing for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 69.5 percent of his passes and posting a passer rating of 103.8 in eight games. However, it remains to be seen just how effective Cousins will be upon returning.
Cousins, who played his collegiate football at Michigan State, was originally selected by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
He spent the first three years of his career as Robert Griffin III’s backup before taking over as the starter in 2015. In three seasons as Washington’s starting quarterback, Cousins made one Pro Bowl.
Following his tenure in the nation’s capital, the Barrington, Il. native proceeded to link up with the Vikings via free agency in 2018.
Kirk Cousins has since spent the last six years of his career in Minnesota, earning three more Pro Bowl selections.
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