The Minnesota Vikings went all-in last season and, ultimately, came up far short of their first ever Super Bowl win. Now, the team is dismantling their 2022 NFC North Champion team. Za’Darius Smith wants to be released. Adam Thielen has already been released. Harrison Smith? Gone. According to Dan Graziano, they may also be shopping Dalvin Cook! In addition, it sounds like the Vikings are also preparing for this to be Kirk Cousins’ last year with the team.
The Minnesota Vikings Will Not Give Kirk Cousins a New Contract
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Kirk Cousins is heading into the season poised to make $35 million. Last offseason, he signed a one-year extension on top of the two-year $66 million deal the Vikings gave him in 2020. After a Pro Bowl season in 2022 that saw Cousins throw for 4,547 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions, The NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport says that the Vikings will not give Cousins an early extension again. Instead, 2023 will be a “lame duck” year for the four-time Pro Bowler:
From Free Agency Frenzy: Could #Vikings QB Kirk Cousins bet on himself again? pic.twitter.com/PTzrJzrmuq
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2023
“I mean if there is one player that we know will bet on himself and make sure that the product on the field speaks for itself, it’s Kirk Cousins. We’ve seen him do it on a couple different franchise tags and get the fully guaranteed deal that so many quarterbacks, including Lamar Jackson, want. If Cousins did it again, it would be surprising if the Vikings and Cousins’ agent agent Mike McCartney cannot find the right deal.
“But also for the Vikings it does make it difficult financially. Of course, they’re in a cap crunch now. They’re shedding salary, and they’ve been shedding veterans. Getting a Kirk Cousins deal would be something that would help them cap wise, but, as you mentioned, may not be something that is in the cards right now.”
It will be interesting to see what the Vikings do with the quarterback position going forward. Will they draft their next quarterback in the early rounds so he can sit for a year behind Kirk Cousins? Or will they try to work out another contract with him next offseason?
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