How should Vikings fans feel about Kirk Cousins for two more years?
Kirk Cousins has agreed to a contract extension, but how should Vikings’ fans feel about two additional years of him under center?
Entering the final year of his contract. it seemed inevitable the Minnesota Vikings would get a contract extension done with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The ratification of a new CBA has opened the door for NFL business, and Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney has announced the agreement on a two-year extension with the Vikings.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the new two-year deal is worth $66 million.
In the second year of the fully guaranteed, three-year, $84 million deal he signed in 2018, Cousins posted a career-best 107.4 passer rating as he completed over 69 percent of his passes and threw just six interceptions. He still fell short in games against good teams, but that’s par for the course at this point.
Gary Kubiak came in as an offensive assistant last year, and his influence on the Vikings’ offense was clear. The elevation of Kubiak to offensive coordinator after Kevin Stefanski left to become head coach of the Cleveland Browns made it certain the Vikings would roll it back basically exactly as it was in 2019. Any idea Cousins would be traded in some sort of reset plan was never realistic anyway.
Cousins is now under contract for a total of three more years at $96 million, with $61 million fully guaranteed at signing. More importantly, and the lead reason to extend Cousins, the Vikings will create $10 million in cap space for this year. He had been set to carry a $31 million cap hit for this year.
For the #Vikings and QB Kirk Cousins, it’s a 2-year deal worth $66M, source said. In all, it’s 3 years, $96M. $61M guaranteed at signing.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
#Vikings QB Kirk Cousins' contract extension clears $10 million in 2020 cap space, source said. He was due $29.5 million in final year of his old contract. Now under contract for three years, $96 million, including $61M fully guaranteed.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 16, 2020
The day they signed Cousins to that original three-year deal, after appearing in the NFC Championship Game with Case Keenum as the starting quarterback, the Vikings puts themselves in a “Super Bowl or bust” window.
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Anyone outside the team facility probably considers that window of grand expectations to be closed. But keeping Cousins around beyond 2020 was always the most likely scenario, and Vikings’ fans will be subject to the frustration of wanting more from the quarterback for a little while longer.