Kirk Cousins open to new deal to return to Vikings next season: ‘Dollars are really not what it's about’
If he has it his way, Kirk Cousins will be back with the Minnesota Vikings next season — even if that means taking a bit of a discount to do so.
Yet Cousins, who is set to become a free agent this offseason when his contract expires, isn’t trying too hard to pitch himself to the Vikings' front office, or any other teams that are in need of a quarterback. Even though he’s currently recovering from an Achilles injury, Cousins knows what he brings to the table.
"I'm not going to try to sell myself, if you will," Cousins said on Monday, via ESPN. "I kind of like to let people make their own decisions, because 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. The Achilles is going to heal. And it's on track, and I'm a pocket passer and there's a lot of time before next season. For a lot of reasons, it doesn't concern me, but if I can't convince other people of that, then that's OK."
Cousins’ current contract with the Vikings is set to expire in March. He signed a one-year, $35 million extension with the team last offseason.
Cousins threw for 2,331 yards and had 18 touchdowns this season, though he tore his Achilles in Week 8 and has been recovering ever since. The 35-year-old was tied for the most touchdown passes and was second in passing yards in the league when he went down with his injury. The Vikings struggled to replace Cousins the rest of the way and eventually missed the playoffs.
While Cousins is clearly approaching the end of his career, the Vikings were undoubtedly a better team when he was leading them.
“I mean, Kirk played great,” Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said when Cousins sustained his Achilles injury, via ESPN. “I think my want for Kirk to come back isn't just a 'me' thing. You know, it's a negotiation. You come together at the table, and you try and see if everything works together, and we'll have that dialogue when the time comes."
That time is now rapidly approaching.
It’s unclear what kind of a deal Cousins will get next, whether that’s with the Vikings or elsewhere. Joe Burrow leads the league while earning $55 million per season, and Justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts are all earning more than $50 million per year. Cousins’ $35 million deal ranked him No. 15 in the league among quarterbacks. The top four highest-paid quarterbacks are all younger than 30, but Cousins could at least close the gap there a little bit.
But for Cousins, he insists it's not about the money at this point in his career. If the Vikings wanted a “hometown discount” of sorts to keep him there, he’s not against it. In his eyes, “structure is probably more important than money.”
"I do think it's important to be aware of,” Cousins said, via ESPN. “I think that God has blessed me financially beyond my wildest dreams. So at this stage in my career, the dollars are really not what it's about."
