Should The Vikings Extend Kirk Cousins?
Kirk Cousins has been the quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings since 2018, and has been very consistent and reliable for the team.
Cousins also has one of the best agents in the league. Mike McCartney has gotten his quarterback paid three times by the Vikings. After leaving Washington in 2018, Cousins signed a three-year deal worth $84 million, making him the highest-paid quarterback ever at the time. Then, in 2020, he signed a two-year, $66 million fully guaranteed contract, followed by signing a one-year, $33 million extension in March of 2022.
Cousins will become a free agent in 2024, so why give him so many short-term deals? Cousins is 35-years-old but still hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. In fact, he’s playing the best he’s ever played in his career.
Since joining the Vikings, the former fourth-round pick has thrown for 20,934 yards, 153 touchdowns to only 53 interceptions with a 67.8 completion percentage and a 100.9 passer rating over that span. Cousins ranks No. 2 in Vikings single-season history with 35 touchdown passes in 2020, and his eight games with three-plus passing TDs in 2020 is a Vikings record.
Additionally, his 19 career games with 300-plus passing yards, three-plus TDs and above a 115.0 passer rating are the fourth-most in the opening 11 seasons of any QB career in NFL history–behind only Patrick Mahomes, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers.
Cousins has made three Pro Bowls since joining the Vikings and has posted 4,000-plus passing yards and 25-plus touchdowns seven times in his career (3rd straight since 2020).
Sounds like a no-brainer to extend him right? Wrong. What Cousins lacks is playoff success. He’s 1-4 in the playoffs in his career and has only made it as far as the divisional round once. In three playoff games with the Vikings, Cousins has thrown for 687 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
The Vikings came off a 13-4 season in 2022, winning the NFC North and looking forward to dominating the NFC playoffs. They faced the 9-7-1 New York Giants, led by Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley, in the Wild Card round and lost 31-24. Cousins played very well, going 31-for-39 with a pair of touchdowns and no interceptions.
It was Minnesota’s poor defense that couldn’t get the team over the hump. The club ranked No. 30 in defensive DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average) last year, No. 30 in points allowed with the second-most yards allowed. Shortly after the playoff loss, the team fired defensive coordinator Ed Donatell after just one season and hired Brian Flores a few weeks later.
It’s not all completely on Cousins, and you can trust that he will give you a good record for the regular season. However, you can’t rely on him to get you playoff wins.
The Vikings are going to have to pay wide receiver Justin Jefferson over $25 million sometime this season, and general Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has done a nice job with managing money.
The team converted Kirk Cousins’ $20M roster bonus into a signing bonus, adding two void years and cleared $16M of cap back in March. After Dalvin Cook‘s release in June, Minnesota had $18.75 million per Over The Cap. Afterward, Danielle Hunter inked a one-year, up to $20 million contract in July, with $17 million fully guaranteed.
The team just extended tight end T.J. Hockensen to a record deal a few days ago, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Hockenson’s deal will be worth $68.5 million over four seasons with $42.5 million guaranteed.
With Cousins and Jefferson due up next, it’s going to be interesting to see what the Vikings decide to do. According to SI.com, they’re making an effort to get Jefferson extended before the 2023 season begins. If so, they might restructure the contract to extend Cousins for another year or two.
Drafting a quarterback in 2024 wouldn’t be a bad idea. The Vikings selected Jaren Hall out of BYU in 2023, but not to be a starter in the near future. If the team could secure a high-level talent at the quarterback position in 2024 with Cousins on a short-term deal, he could help develop the rookie into a franchise quarterback.
Matt Miller of ESPN released his preseason mock draft predictions for the 2024 NFL draft. For the Minnesota Vikings at pick No. 21, symbolizing a playoff team, Miller selected Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
“The upcoming free agency of quarterback Kirk Cousins — who is turning 36 next summer — will force the Vikings into a hard decision early in the 2024 offseason,” Miller wrote. “McCarthy showcased excellent dual-threat ability in 2022, throwing for 22 touchdowns to five interceptions and adding five more scores on the ground. The 6-3, 202-pound passer is a play-action master and excels on rollouts and moving pockets. That’d fit with Minnesota coach Kevin O’Connell just fine, and McCarthy would benefit from Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison at wide receiver.”
What do you think the Vikings should do? Is Cousins worthy of another hefty extension? Let us know below!
***
SUBSCRIBE to the Vendetta YouTube Channel!
SHOP for Vendetta Merch!
SUPPORT Vendetta on Patreon!
CHECK OUT our Vendetta NFL Content Here.
