EAGAN, Minn. — In the spring of 2017, Bruce Allen, then the president of the Washington Redskins, flew to Michigan for a dinner. Seated with him at the table was his team’s quarterback, Kirk Cousins, and Kirk’s father, Don.
They had discussed contracts before. A year earlier, following Cousins’ first season as a starter, a season in which Cousins threw for 4,166 yards and 29 touchdowns, Allen submitted an offer that did not provide Cousins peace.
“I’m going to bet on myself and trust the Lord is going to direct my steps,” Cousins told his father.
So in 2016, he played on the franchise tag, threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 25 touchdowns and was named to his first Pro Bowl. The performance placed him back at the bargaining table, which led to this dinner in Michigan.
In August, Don Cousins recalled the sequence of events that played out at the table.
“I’ve got the contract right here in my briefcase,” Allen said. “You can sign it.”
“What’s the offer?” Kirk asked.
Allen explained the figures.
“I don’t feel good about that,” Kirk ultimately responded. “I’m just going to take my chances.”
Washington franchise-tagged him again. And again, Cousins notched more than 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns. Free agency arrived. The Minnesota Vikings offered Cousins a three-year, $84 million fully guaranteed contract, and Cousins accepted.
“He liked Washington,” Don said. “He would’ve stayed in Washington. He loved living there. He’s a history guy. Loved the vibe of the whole city. But he wasn’t going to play and be undervalued if you will. The time came, and he got a better offer elsewhere.”
If the Vikings are serious about bringing Cousins back, they must focus on putting him at peace, making sure he feels valued before he enters a market in which he will almost certainly have suitors.
Speaking Monday afternoon at the TCO Performance Center, while longtime teammates cleaned out their lockers, Cousins even referred to this. He had been asked about the idea of a “hometown discount” to stay in Minnesota. “God has blessed me financially beyond my wildest dreams,” he said, “so at this stage of my career, the dollars are not what it’s about.”
Then he hearkened back to something a former coach told him nearly a decade ago.
“’Kirk, it’s not about the dollars,’” the coach told him. “’But it’s about what the dollars represent.’”
“I thought that was an interesting comment,” Cousins said Monday. “There will always be (something) to that.”
Cousins, who will turn 36 in August, does not feel as if he needs to sell himself. His play? He’ll let the 145 starts he’s put on tape do that job. His torn Achilles? He says it’s on track to heal. Why try to convince the builders of football teams that a quarterback who has mastered multiple systems, won 76 games and competed in the playoffs is worth paying?
“I like to let people make their own decisions,” Cousins said. “I do think the league needs quarterbacks. And if you’re trying to talk yourself out of a quarterback, then I can’t help you much.”
Minnesota’s looming decision — whether to re-sign Cousins and, if so, for how much — has plenty of layers. One of them involves Cousins’ current contract. Last offseason, the Vikings restructured Cousins’ deal for salary cap relief in 2023. As a result, Minnesota increased Cousins’ dead-cap hit to around $28.5 million in the event his contract voids in March.
Put simply, unless the Vikings can extend Cousins before his contract voids, or unless they can agree to an extension on the dead-cap money, Cousins will tax the books regardless. (Note: Any extension that pushes back the dead money would just be kicking the can further down the road.)
Another layer relates to the Vikings brass. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who said last spring that Cousins meets the necessary threshold to win in the NFL, and coach Kevin O’Connell, whose offensive scheme requires a quarterback of Cousins’ aptitude, are entering their third seasons. Even though both have talked about the benefits of a rookie QB contract in terms of piecing together an entire roster and the fact that the team may pursue a young QB in the draft, it feels fair to wonder how keen they’d be on potentially taking a step back at the position.
In the last two years, specifically, O’Connell has not been shy in his praise for Cousins.
“You guys know how I feel about Kirk,” he said following Cousins’ injury. “Kirk knows how I feel. I think he was playing as well as anybody in the National Football League.”
Ownership’s perspective matters, too. Has one playoff win in five seasons with Cousins at the helm made them think the team should move on? Could nine weeks of watching Josh Dobbs, Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens have altered that opinion? The answers to those questions likely come with a major caveat. Maybe, depending on what the financials look like.
What amount represents fair value for Cousins? New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones received a contract that included a $40 million average annual value. New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr got a deal with an AAV of $37.5 million. Cousins has accomplished more than both, which is why teams like the Atlanta Falcons or Pittsburgh Steelers might be willing to pony up.
In the end, Minnesota will have the first crack at the quarterback who has evolved from quirky to beloved over the last few years. Teammates and captains like Justin Jefferson and Brian O’Neill have been effusive in their praise.
“I would just love for an opportunity to play with him again,” O’Neill said Monday.
It’s possible, if not probable. So long as the Vikings do what Washington didn’t and value Cousins in a way that leaves zero doubt.
If you get the Athletic the comments section is worth it’s weight in gold on this one.
isn’t it more then just the GM making draft decisions??
