NFL Rumors: Dolphins eyeing a whale, Saints ultimatum to Winston, and demise of Kirk Cousins

NFL Rumors: Is this the end for Vikings QB Kirk Cousins?

Adam Thielen was cut. Dalvin Cook is on the trading block. Za’Darius Smith wants out. Looks like the midwestern hospitality has run out in Minnesota, and the Vikings are preparing for a new era in 2023.

With the franchise currently undergoing an identity crisis, the fate of the Minnesota Vikings may come down to whether the team extends quarterback Kirk Cousins. Still roughly $14 million over the cap, Minnesota’s most financially sensible move would be to sign Cousins to a long-term deal and spread out the cap hits, but is that something Cousins wants to do?

After Daniel Jones, Derek Carr, and Geno Smith got their extensions this month, it appears as though a mid-tier contract category is opening in the quarterback landscape, one that would perfectly suit Cousins.

Cousins, who is entering his sixth season in Minnesota, signed a lucrative one-year deal last season and has a long history of using his leverage to cash in. He earned $230 million in guaranteed money over the last decade and could technically keep stacking up his cash year after year, though this offseason feels a tad different.

Cousins’ 2023 cap hit is set to be $36.25 million, which will more than likely be reworked in an impending extension. Both sides appear amenable to such an extension, but this offseason, the Vikings are reportedly not interested in another one-year deal and may be willing to let Cousin’s contract expire.

Moving on from Cousins and potentially starting from scratch would waste Justin Jefferson’s prime; however, with the mass exodus of Vikings stars, the team would be hard-pressed to stay competitive in 2023. It would be so easy for the Vikings to cut Cousins right now and yet….maybe they keep him?

From a performance perspective, Cousins has proven he is not championship-caliber material. All that he provides is stability, as his consistent presence affords the franchise time to find a younger successor. For all his primetime and playoff disappointments, Cousins has a wholesome relationship with head coach Kevin O’Connell, and at his age, he may indeed be looking for long-term security rather than more one-year deals.

This is the end for Cousins only if Cousins wants it to be the end: sign a long-term deal or play out the rest of his contract and keep gambling on himself. Whatever he chooses to do this offseason will have major ramifications for the twilight years of his NFL career.

Oh my.

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