Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins is slated to be a free agent in the coming weeks, and the two sides seem to have reached a stalemate.

ESPN’s Dan Graziano says that Cousins and the Vikings are having trouble reaching common ground in spite of the mutual interest for a 2024 return.

“The sense I’m getting is Minnesota still wants quarterback Kirk Cousins to return, but Cousins has a very specific idea in mind for what he wants in a new contract, and the Vikings so far have not made an offer that matches it,” Graziano wrote. “The ball might be in the team’s court at this point. Cousins and his family like Minnesota and would be happy to stay and finish his career there, but it doesn’t sound like he’s willing to offer the team a hometown discount.”

Spotrac is projecting Cousins to land a three-year, $118 million deal, which may be too rich for the Vikings’ blood—especially if Cousins pushes for a guarantee.

Minnesota general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has said that the team wants Cousins back, but not at the expense of its long-term financial flexibility.

Cousins has spent the last six years of his career with the Vikings after signing with the club back in 2018. Since then, he has made three Pro Bowl appearances in Minnesota.

However, as successful as Cousins has been with the Vikings, he is coming off of a torn Achilles and is set to be 36 years old at the start of next season.

For that reason, Minnesota has some understandable trepidation about giving Cousins a lucrative multi-year contract, especially if a lot of guaranteed money is involved.

If the Vikings don’t end up retaining Cousins, there will certainly be a fairly long list of suitors interested in the veteran signal-caller.

We’ll see how things unfold for Kirk Cousins later this month.

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