Should the Vikings give Kirk Cousins another big contract?

The Vikings are trying to sign Kirk Cousins to a contract extension, but should they give him another big contract?

The Minnesota Vikings went into uncharted territory with a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract with Kirk Cousins in March of 2018. That deal is of course now entering its final year, and talks about a contract extension appear to be ongoing.

The Vikings created $18.5 million in cap space by releasing cornerback Xavier Rhodes and defensive tackle Linval Joseph last Friday. They’re still not in a great spot though, with $20.7 million to work with as free agency approaches.

Cousins is carrying a $31 million cap hit for 2020, and getting him signed to an extension would certainly lower that number. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, before Sunday morning’s announcement of a vote to approve a new CBA, the Vikings have made multiple offers to Cousins but there has been no agreement on a number.

Now that the new CBA is done, the Dallas Cowboys may get a deal done quickly with Dak Prescott. A franchise tag would pay Prescott around $32 million, and a multi-year deal would likely stretch  toward $34 million per year. Cousins would have a strong argument to get the same per year average as Prescott.

Cousins has been right to wait on signing a contract extension until the bigger picture is clearer. As shown by willing going year to year on the franchise tag with the Washington Redskins, then the shorter than usual but fully guaranteed deal he got from the Vikings, he’s a shining example of a capitalist quarterback.

But the Vikings don’t necessarily have to, and arguably shouldn’t, be resigned to just ponying up again on a huge contract for Cousins. They could draft a potential successor this year, let Cousins play out his contract and then be ready to move forward without him in 2021. Another fully guaranteed contract, let’s say for three years again, would push toward $100 million in total and keep the Vikings in a pretty tough salary cap circumstance.

In the name of winning, this year and going forward, Cousins could take what would be regarded as a team-friendly deal from the Vikings. Exactly what that would look like is hard to determine, but it also can’t be expected to happen as Cousins exercises his right to get all he’s worth.

There’s no doubt the Vikings are all-in to win again this year, as expected from the day the deal for Cousins was announced. But if it comes to that this might also be his last year as the quarterback, if the team wants to hold a line and is willing to let him play out the final year of his contract. Based on his history, Cousins may embrace the idea of hitting the market again next March.