Vikings Predicted to Extend $35 Million Star on 2-Year Deal

Getty General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Minnesota Vikings are focused on a playoff run with three divisional games remaining, but once the year is over they will face the same fundamental question that has hung over the organization for the past two offseasons — what is the long-term answer at quarterback?

Minnesota has run out four different starters already this season and chose to stick with Nick Mullens this Sunday when the team hosts the Detroit Lions in Minneapolis. But neither Mullens or former starter Josh Dobbs appear to be the answer to the Vikings’ franchise-defining query. There’s a small chance that rookie Jaren Hall might be, but the team’s hesitancy to start him down the stretch is not a good sign.

Kirk Cousins is the obvious choice, if said choice is confined to players currently on the roster. But he will be 36 years old next season and coming off of an Achilles tear that probably would have meant the end of his playing career in just about any other NFL era.

However, due to a lack of certainty surrounding other potential solutions at the game’s most important position, Bill Barnwell of ESPN predicted on Thursday, December 21, that Minnesota will ultimately bring Cousins back on a two-year deal that includes some flexibility in the second season.

“A reunion with Cousins makes the most sense. The defense has taken enough of a leap forward to compete immediately, and the passing attack was absolutely humming before Cousins went down injured,” Barnwell wrote. “With Cousins’ path to a Kyle Shanahan reunion blocked by Brock Purdy in San Francisco and the Vikings not really in position to ensure landing a top quarterback prospect in the draft, a two-year deal with void seasons for cap purposes would make sense for the Vikings.”

Kirk Cousins Has Cashed in Huge with Minnesota Vikings

GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings.

Cousins signed a one-year deal to play in 2023 on a $35 million contract, and a new agreement is likely to pay him similarly.

Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus projected recently that Cousins is worth a $60 million deal that includes $37.5 million guaranteed, though he didn’t make a definitive declaration on where the QB might play on that contract.

“An ill-timed torn Achilles derailed another strong season from Cousins, and he looked set to have a host of suitors in free agency, as he did back in 2018,” Spielberger wrote on December 13. “Cousins still has the requisite arm strength to throw to all levels of the field and has been as accurate as ever in recent seasons.”

Cousins has made $185 million over three different contracts across six seasons in Minnesota. Another deal will put him well north of the $200 million mark, even if he ends up playing just one more year with the Vikings.

Vikings’ Progress, Talent Level Demand Extension for QB Kirk Cousins

GettyQuarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings.

It is hard to argue against paying Cousins big considering Minnesota’s progress over the past two seasons under general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell, as well as where the team currently stands in the NFC pecking order.

As Barnwell noted, Brian Flores has transformed the defense in 2023. Even if he leaves for a head coaching position next year, the Vikings have a blueprint for how to play aggressively and successfully on that side of the football and can find a new defensive coordinator with a similar background and/or philosophy to fill Flores’ role.

Minnesota selected standout wide receiver Jordan Addison in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, who has lived up to his draft position and then some with 9 touchdowns through 14 games. Shortly after, the franchise inked tight end TJ Hockenson to a record deal for his position. Justin Jefferson is arguably the best pass-catcher in the league when healthy and is in line for a historic contract of his own this coming offseason.

Cousins was playing the best football of his 12-year career during his second campaign under O’Connell, leading the NFL in completions and pass attempts as well as passing touchdowns (18) through eight weeks before suffering his injury.

The Vikings are 7-7 and occupy one of the three NFC Wildcard spots heading into this weekend. Minnesota made the playoffs and won the division last season. The team is also primed to remain competitive for years to come assuming it can sort out the quarterback position in the long-term.

In the meantime, bringing back Cousins — who has stated publicly on multiple occasions over the last several weeks that he wants to return — seems like a no-brainer.