The longer it takes for the Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins to potentially agree on a contract, the closer he gets to free agency.
And if Cousins makes it to free agency on March 13, there will be no shortage of suitors for his services, even though he will be 36 years old by the start of next season and is coming off a season-ending injury.
NFL insider Tom Pelissero thinks the Denver Broncos could even pursue Cousins.
“All options are on the table for the Broncos at quarterback,” Pelissero said on “The Rich Eisen Show” on February 23. “I would think that they’re going to look at all these free agent quarterbacks. I wouldn’t even rule out the possibility that the Broncos would make a run at Kirk Cousins.”
Pelissero believes former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, who led them to two Super Bowls, winning one, could steer the charge.
Payton is going into his second season as Broncos head coach.
“Sean Payton is going to want somebody,” Pelissero said. “If he believes Kirk Cousins gives him the best chance to compete in a really, really tough division … I wouldn’t take anything off the table.”
The Broncos have “somebody”: Russell Wilson. He is under contract for five more years at $242.6 million total.
But he and Payton had contentious sideline interactions last season.
Payton also benched Wilson. While all parties – including General Manager George Paton – have left the door open for Wilson to return next season, the expectation around the league is that the Broncos will cut the quarterback at some point this offseason.
That decision could come by Mary 17. That is when Wilson’s $35 million salary for 2025 becomes fully guaranteed.
It is also four days after Cousins will have officially hit free agency, putting the Vikings in a bind.
Kirk Cousins Fits Mold of Sean Payton QB
GettyHead coach Sean Payton of the Denver Broncos.
Cousins completed 69.5% of his passes for 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns with five interceptions this past season.
Former Saints quarterback Drew Brees noted that Wilson’s best strengths do not fit what Payton wants from his passers and, in many ways, is even in direct opposition.
“As I watched them play this year, it didn’t feel like the timing, the rhythm, the tempo that I’m used to seeing in a Sean Payton offense,” Brees said on “Pro Football Talk” on February 8. “Those are the hallmarks of the offense. That’s the standard that has been set.”
Wilson thrives in off-schedule situations after the play breaks down.
Cousins has some creation to his game. But he is mostly a rhythm-and-timing passer. That is why he fits well in Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense.
Vikings Get Potential Boost in Effort to Retain Kirk Cousins
GettyGeneral Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah of the Minnesota Vikings.
The NFL announced the salary cap would be $255.4 million in 2024. Each team has an additional $30 million than expected, per Pelissero on February 23. The increase is the result of repaid advancements from the COVID era.
That gives the Vikings $40.9 million in cap space before making any other moves, per Spotrac.
That is more than the Broncos enter the offseason with. It could give the Vikings less hesitation about dishing out another large contract to an aging Cousins.
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Insider: Super Bowl-Winning HC Could Push to Sign Vikings’ Kirk Cousins