Kirk Cousins has put up great numbers for the Minnesota Vikings in his five seasons at quarterback.
Cousins and the Vikings are focused on different numbers right now, and things haven’t gone so well.
The Vikings have tried to reach an agreement on an extension for the 34-year-old veteran, whose contract expires after the 2023 season. The two sides have been at a standstill, with Cousins reportedly seeking a three-year, fully guaranteed deal, and the Vikings balking.
That led to widespread speculation that the Vikings would try to pick a quarterback of the future in the NFL Draft, possibly Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker.
Instead, the Vikings drafted BYU’s Jaren Hall in the fifth round, not exactly a sign the team is desperate to find a replacement for Cousins. Could that mean the team is optimistic about reaching a deal with Cousins?
General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah told ESPN that he’s happy with the current QB situation.
“We like where we are at the quarterback position,” Adofo-Mensah said. “But every option is open to us going forward. We’re just really excited about Kirk this year. The weapons we’ve added in free agency, the weapons we added in the draft [will help], and we’ll see what happens after that.”
What happens after that is Cousins walks, if the two sides can’t reach an agreement. Those pesky numbers again.
“When you go into a contract negotiation, you’re trying to come up with solutions together,” Adofo-Mensah said (via ESPN). “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 [Trophy].
“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.”
[ESPN]
