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Vikings Rumors: Jonathan Taylor trade odds, Kirk Cousins contract, Ivan Pace Jr. buzzkill

Are the Vikings in the Jonathan Taylor trade market, Kirk Cousins' next contract, and the Ivan Pace Jr. hype gets cold water on it.

By Cody Williams

Jonathan Taylor
Jonathan Taylor / Dylan Buell/GettyImages
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Vikings Rumors: Kirk Cousins next contract won't be cheap, Minnesota or not

It's been made clear over the past few months that the future of Kirk Cousins with the Minnesota Vikings is less than certain. The veteran quarterback is in the final year of his contract and has essentially been told that a new extension won't be coming unless he earns it.

But even if the Vikings choose to hit the reset button at quarterback, whether that's with Jaren Hall or a 2024 draftee to free up cap space for a Justin Jefferson extension and so on, or if Minnesota chooses to keep the 35-year-old veteran, there's one certainty: Kirk Cousins is still going to get paid.

Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press noted this weekend that, whether it's Minnesota or one of the other 31 NFL teams that could be after Cousins should he hit free agency, the quarterback is expected to get a contract that is close to two guaranteed years and around $80 million guaranteed.

"Kirk Cousins, who turned 35 on Saturday, is a good quarterback, but not a great quarterback. So his future in Minnesota after this season will depend on how much the Wilfs are willing to pay for a good, not great QB. As a free agent, Cousins’ market value would be in the $80 million range for two guaranteed years."

- Charley Walters, Pioneer Press

The key part for the Vikings there is if they want to pay that type of money for a quarterback who has not proven he can get this team, the offense specifically, over the hump. There is obviously inherent risk in the alternatives. A rookie coming in with no professional track record could crash and burn, no matter his pedigree. A trade option like Kyler Murray has his own warts to consider.

My expectation for the Vikings is that they end up moving on from Cousins if that's the price tag. With the talent around him on the roster, they can't risk botching the Jefferson extension negotiations or wasting the wide receiver's talent at this point in his career. Again, that's a risky proposition, but that also means the upside is greaters.

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