Let's appreciate Kirk Cousins for what he is, a great capitalist quarterback
Kirk Cousins has played things out for max financial gain before, and it seems he'll keep doing it
Right or wrong, the Washington Football Team did not believe in Kirk Cousins as their long-term quarterback. So he willing played the 2016 and 2017 seasons on the franchise tag, with an eye on hitting the market unabated in 2018.
The Minnesota Vikings gave Cousins a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal in March of 2018. Last offseason, they signed him to a two-year, $66 million extension with $61 million fully guaranteed at signing. Right after the new league year starts in March, his $35 million salary for 2022 becomes fully guaranteed.
So as a practical matter, unless trade rumors come to fruition, Cousins will be a Viking for the next two years. As for beyond that, well, here’s what he said to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on PFT PM this week.
“I want to be with the Vikings for as long as they’ll have me and as long as I can play football,” Cousins said.
“Honestly, I just signed the extension last offseason and it really doesn’t kick in ’til this coming year,” Cousins said. “It’s a two-year deal. Those two years begin with 2021. . . . I think it’s more about going out there next season and the year after that and playing at a high enough level that would justify being able to do another deal beyond that. That’s really where my focus is. As I said earlier, would like to be a Viking for the remainder of my career. I’ve got to play well enough to make that happen.”
As Florio noted Cousins’ contract doesn’t have a no-tag clause, but he doesn’t need it. His previous tags with Washington would apply to a franchise tag going forward. A 44-percent raise from a $45 million cap hit in 2022 means it would cost the Vikings $64.8 million to tag him for the third time in his career in 2023.
So Cousins appears content to collect $56 million in salary for the next two years, then keep all options open after that. He will be approaching $200 million in career earnings at the end of his current deal. He’ll turn 34 just before the 2022 season starts, so there will be some good earning years left for him—wherever he’s playing after that.
Cousins is an easy pin-cushion when his team struggles, and that will never change. But a willingness to bet on himself and go year-to-year in Washington has given way to a bunch of money and multi-year security from the Vikings. So let’s acknowledge what Cousins will be remembered best as, no matter where his career goes from here—a capitalist quarterback who has utilized and will keep utilizing his leverage as well as anyone we’ll ever see.