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Kirk Cousins will be one of the most contested free agents this offseason. Aside from the deep and talented rookie class, the options for teams that need a QB are not all that ideal. Some involve trades or players who are older and becoming more and more ineffective.
Cousins is not that, and he was in the middle of a spectacular year before getting hurt in 2023. That has the Minnesota Vikings very interested in winning the sweepstakes for their quarterback, but that will cost him.
Dan Graziano of ESPN reported:
"The sense I'm getting is Minnesota still wants quarterback Kirk Cousins to return, but Cousins has a very specific idea in mind for what he wants in a new contract, and the Vikings so far have not made an offer that matches it. The ball might be in the team's court at this point."
He reported that the QB and his family like Minnesota and are interested in playing out the rest of Cousins' career there, but not if it means taking a big discount. Even for a team and area he likes, Cousins is not willing to short himself.
The QB will have a market that should get him around $35 million per estimates. He's going to be paid handsomely, and it looks like he knows he can test the waters to find out and could leave Minnesota even if he doesn't want to right now.
How much did Kirk Cousins earn with Vikings?
Kirk Cousins played for six years in the purple and gold. He earned a little over $170 million from his contracts with the Minnesota Vikings. He was never the highest-paid player at his position during that time, but he did make quite a lot of money.
What teams could sign Kirk Cousins?
The number of teams that could go after Kirk Cousins is pretty high. He's arguably the most desirable option aside from drafting a rookie, so most teams will at least try and talk to him. That includes the Minnesota Vikings.
The Atlanta Falcons will be interested in a QB after new head coach Raheem Morris said that was the only position they need. They've been linked to trading for Justin Fields, but that's far from a sure thing.
The Denver Broncos are pretty much done with Russell Wilson, so they might have to look at other veteran options and there aren't any better than Kirk Cousins. The Las Vegas Raiders are in the same boat as well.
