The worst-kept secret in the NFL is finally all the way in the light. After a few days of reports that Kirk Cousins will sign a monster, fully-guaranteed contract with the Minnesota Vikings, the deal is all but in the bag.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told reporters Wednesday night that Cousins’ agent will be flying in on Thursday morning, when the two sides are likely to hammer out a deal and announce it in a press conference Thursday afternoon.
Rick Spielman to reporters outside Capital Grille on Cousins "I think it’s pretty hard not to get done right now… His agent is flying in (Thursday) morning We'll handle the business 1st thing in the morning… Hopefully we'll have a press conference some time (Thurs) afternoon"
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) March 15, 2018
Cousins was flown out to Minnesota on a private jet Wednesday for a meet-and-greet with the Vikings, and cameras were on him when he arrived.
As just seen on @KSTP: Kirk Cousins, wife, baby, greeted by #Vikings GM Rick Spielman at Holman Field in St. Paul upon arrival in the Wilf jet. pic.twitter.com/27bDfzadLd
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) March 14, 2018
He went out to dinner with the team’s brass Wednesday night to discuss things, and signed a few autographs afterward.
Kirk Cousins leaves his dinner with Vikings brass and teammates. Rick Spielman said it would be hard to imagine not getting a deal done during his visit tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/aHeeYtKguv
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) March 15, 2018
The Vikings are reportedly going to pay Cousins $28 million per year on a three-year deal for a total of $84 million guaranteed, making him the richest quarterback in the league on a per-year basis.
Originally a fourth-round pick by Washington in 2012 — the same year Robert Griffin III went No. 2 overall — Cousins emerged as the starter went 26-30-1 during his tenure with the Redskins. He completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 16,206 yards with 99 touchdowns and 55 interceptions.
Widely viewed as the top free agent in this year’s class (aside from Drew Brees, who never wanted to leave New Orleans), Cousins is redefining the free-agency process for quarterbacks. He signed consecutive franchise tags in 2016-17 and stands to make nearly $128 million fully guaranteed from 2016 through 2020.
Of course, with that huge payday comes huge expectations. The Vikings feel they are a quarterback away from a championship and now have landed a guy they feel can get them to that pinnacle. Others, like myself, aren’t so sure he’s capable of shouldering this responsibility.