Getty Quarterback Kirk Cousins of the Minnesota Vikings talks with head coach Kevin O'Connell during their game against the Green Bay Packers in October 2023.
Heading toward a bitter divorce with the Denver Broncos, Russell Wilson will make his next team very happy off the rebound — and it could be the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Spotrac, Wilson, who is expected to be cut by the Broncos ahead of free agency on March 13, has offset language in his contract that would reduce the $39 million in guarantees he is owed when he is cut by however much he earns from a new team in 2024. Denver cutting its losses with Wilson means his next team (unlikely to sign him to a deal north of $39 million) is likely to get a massive discount for the veteran minimum of $1.21 million for next season.
That would benefit the Vikings’ favorably, who have a $28.50 million bill to pay to Cousins whether he is on the roster or not in 2024.
Vikings Poised for Massive Free Agency by Replacing Kirk Cousins With Russell Wilson
GettyRussell Wilson #3 of the Denver Broncos.
Cousins is owed prorated bonuses on void years on his current contract that expires on March 13, which is when those bonuses will accelerate onto the 2024 cap sheet if he is not extended.
Ripping off the Band-Aid — paying Cousins his final dues on departure — and still finding a replacement bridge quarterback generally wouldn’t be a recipe for success in 2024 for the Vikings, who would have to sink somewhere around $60 million in the quarterback position to find a replacement near his caliber.
Wilson may not be the same talent he once was, but he’s also just two years removed from his ninth Pro Bowl nod in 2021, throwing for 3,113 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions in his final year with the Seattle Seahawks. It was a pivot to a game manager role that intrigued Denver enough to give up a massive trade haul and extend him to a five-year, $245 million deal.
Considering he could cost as low as the veteran minimum $1.21 million next season, he would be the best-case scenario bridge quarterback the Vikings could sign while also drafting their quarterback of the future, Pioneer Press columnist Charley Walters argued.
“It’s not far-fetched that the Vikings would consider, for financial reasons, Russell Wilson as their bridge QB next season if they draft a QB with their No. 11 pick in April,” Walters wrote, adding that the “buzz” surrounding Cousins’ next contract is it may take a $45 million a year deal to secure him in free agency. “Bottom line: The Vikings can either pay Cousins $45 million next season or Wilson $1.2 million.”
It’s not quite as simple as Walter put it. It would cost the Vikings roughly $34 million to pay Cousins’ dead cap hit along with Wilson, Jaren Hall and a first-round rookie quarterback.
However, that’s a manageable cap hit at the position for 2024 that would keep Minnesota competitive with Wilson and free the Vikings financially to have a massive 2025 free agency to help fill whatever roster holes the new regime’s third draft class remained unfilled.
A Solid 2024 Draft Could Set Up Vikings for Quick Rise in NFC North
GettyMinnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (left) and head coach Kevin O’Connell (right) in attendance at the Sweet 16 Round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in March 2023.
This season confirmed several questions facing the NFC North, which is looking like a potential juggernaut division for the next few years.
The Detroit Lions narrowly missed the Super Bowl. the Green Bay Packers have their quarterback of the future and the Chicago Bears have been building for what should be a franchise-changing draft and free-agency period this spring.
The 2024 offseason will be pivotal for the Vikings to keep pace with the rest of the division as they sort out their future at quarterback with money still tied up in Cousins and a lack of draft capital due to past trades.
The #Vikings aren’t in bad shape this offseason, but the rest of the NFC North has either the team and/or resources to make a jump in 2024.
Read more from @PFF: t.co/JhY3A6X1Aa
But if the Vikings can build upon their successes in the 2023 draft this spring, they could be poised to make a jump to contender status when they’ll have copious cap space in the ballpark of $140 million to spend even after giving Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw contract extensions.
While the biggest question will be who is at quarterback in the coming years, the Cousins exit strategy with Wilson would allow the Vikings to fortify their roster for the next two years for a young quarterback or sign a potential veteran who would join a roster ready to compete in 2025.