Minnesota Vikings considering contract extension for Kirk Cousins

Leading up to the NFL Draft, a lot of speculation surrounded what the Minnesota Vikings might do at the quarterback position with Kirk Cousins heading into the final year of his contract. We heard everything, from rumors tying the Vikings to a launch up the draft board for a QB like Anthony Richardson or Will Levi to targeting Hendon Hooker if they stood pat at 23 or even trying to trade back up in the second round to target the Tennessee QB.

We didn’t see any of those storylines come to fruition. Instead, the Vikings kept their limited draft capital and chose to address other needs. Yet, GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah didn’t ignore the position altogether.

The Vikings did end up selecting BYU’s Jaren Hall in the fifth round with the 164th overall pick. Hall, 25, is 6-foot-1 but has a lively arm, an ability to throw from multiple angles, and above-average mobility as a dual-threat developmental QB.

While Hall has some upside, no one expects the rookie QB to be handed the keys to an offense that includes Justin Jefferson, T.J. Hockenson, and Jordan Addison any time soon.

Instead, the Vikings’ GM suggests the door on extending Cousins isn’t closed.

“When you go into a contract negotiation, you’re trying to come up with solutions together. It’s not just what Kwesi wants or what the Vikings want or what Kirk wants. It’s what we can do together to ultimately put up that Lombardi. Sometimes you come to a place where you decide, ‘Hey, let’s talk later. This is a solution for now.’ That’s all that’s happened.”
Minnesota Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Kirk Cousins’ future

In other words, the Vikings could revisit contract talks with their 34-year-old QB in the near future. Perhaps that takes place before the season kicks off, or maybe they wait until after the dust settles on the regular season again, just before Cousins is set for free agency. Yet, is there a reason why the two sides haven’t come to an agreement yet?

“Kirk doesn’t need to do show anything to me. Kirk has played football at a high level before I got to the Minnesota Vikings. Last year we won 13 games. I don’t know what he would need to prove to me or anybody else.”
Vikings GM continued

The Vikings don’t sound like a team ready to move on from the former Washington QB just yet as Mensah continued, saying, “We like where we are at the quarterback position, but every option is open to us going forward.”

While Cousins may be locked in for 2023, even the team’s GM admitted to keeping their options open in the future. While he may have led a 13-win effort in 2022, eventually father time will catch up to the Vikings QB, and the team will need to seek a long-term solution. Maybe it happens in the draft, or maybe it happens via trade or free agency like it did with Cousins back in 2018.