Both Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell expressed interest in a Kirk Cousins re-signing leading into free agency. The four-time Pro Bowler joined the Falcons on a four-year, $180MM deal, however, leaving Minnesota to add Sam Darnold and (potentially) a rookie signal-caller in next month’s draft. 
[RELATED: NFL Investigating Falcons For Cousins Tampering]
Efforts were made on Minnesota’s part to work out a new Cousins deal once talks resumed during the offseason. Guaranteed money, to little surprise, became a sticking point during negotiations with the 35-year-old who is rehabbing an Achilles tear. On that note, Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis of The Athletic report the Vikings offered Cousins a multi-year deal including guaranteed compensation in Year 2. The team’s best submission, however, fell short of Atlanta’s.
Prior to free agency opening, questions were raised about the organizational consensus regarding another investment in Cousins. When speaking publicly on the matter, O’Connell said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert) there was “complete alignment” between the coaching staff and front office with respect to the efforts aimed at retaining him. Cousins’ value ultimately went beyond what the Vikings were prepared to pay out on a long-term agreement, something confirmed at the same press availability.
“This sport isn’t such where you can just say on a binary basis: ‘I want that player,'” Adofo-Mensah said (via Lewis). “I think we’ve been very clear since we’ve gotten here that we like Kirk Cousins. We’ve been very clear that we think we could win a Super Bowl with Kirk Cousins. But we have a sport that gives you a certain number of draft picks, a salary cap – it’s a resource-constrained thing.
“When I called Kirk, we joked about the uncomfortable middle [regarding contract talks.] That’s what deals should be. And we weren’t able to find that… But that doesn’t mean we didn’t compete for him. Sometimes, it just gets to that place where the uncomfortable middle isn’t somewhere where you want to go, or where a different team can go because of their timeline of their team, they’re in a different situation.”
Cousins admitted he viewed his final few Vikings season as a “year-to-year” arrangement compared to his Falcons deal setting him up for (in all likelihood) the remainder of his career. His arrival will put Atlanta in a solid QB situation compared to the team’s 2023 signal-callers, provided Cousins can return to his pre-injury form. Minnesota, meanwhile, faces questions about the potential addition of a new quarterback in April’s draft.
The Vikings added an extra first-round pick by swinging a deal with the Texans on Friday. That added draft capital could be used to move up the board on Day 1, although Adofo-Mensah noted he is not exclusively committed to selecting a quarterback at that point. For now, Darnold is in place as the team’s starter after the Falcons outbid them for Cousins. The effectiveness of Minnesota’s and Atlanta’s respective decisions will be a key storyline to follow in 2024.
To me it comes down to Cousins greed. Gimme gimme gimme. It’s not like you’re living paycheck to paycheck. Your great grandkids are set with the amount you made. Whatever Kirk. See ya.
Taking a higher offer isn’t greed. It’s common sense.
Actually it is 100% greed. If he didn’t want more (greed) he would have signed for less.
If someone handed you $20 million for the work you do, you would give it back to them because you don’t want to be greedy?
What Cousins did is he showed that he is more about getting paid and not looking for a Super Bowl title. If the sticking point was guaranteed money, that proves my point. If he performed at an elite level and was getting close to winning a Super Bowl (if not actually winning), he wouldn’t have to worry about guaranteed money. A team would continue to keep him. This is all GREED. All the talk about betting on himself is BS. Because of he was willing to bet on himself, there would NO NEED for guaranteed money. Good riddance.
It’s called injuries. Football is sport where it is very easy to get seriously injured. He literally just tore his Achilles tendon, which kept the Vikings from wanting to extend him. If you were applying for a job where you could be injured – a linesman, construction worker, welder, etc. – and they didn’t have long term disability or a life insurance policy there and could fire you if you were injured – for the sake of your family – would you sign on to work there? Or would you find a place that has all of those benefits? Just think for two seconds, of course you are going to take more guaranteed. Kirk has already bet on himself more than any NFL player in history. Two franchise tags he didn’t sit out, he took short term contracts for years. You think he has any more of a chance to win a SB with that Vikings team? You’re dreaming. He might not have JJetta, but the Falcons have a better O-line and running game and both defenses are about even. You would be a fool to turn down that money.
The GM & HC grandkids are set as well. Don’t blame the athletes for maxing out their value. With a rookie on board, they’ll get at least another 2 years of paychecks.
When not two teams are in the bidding he did not really maximize his value. His value is Baku at best he is not a big game QB. If he was there would have been more than two teams in the discussion. And that would allow him to maximize his value. The Falcons bid against themselves. Give Kirk this year to not lift the team and then next the fans will start questioning his value much like happened on Washington and Minnesota.
Vikings weren’t going to win it all anyways…just not a championship organization.
And the Falcons are?
The comment above is about him being greedy. Cousins should get as much money regardless so he shouldn’t take less from a non title organization if another is offering more.
When you agree to a job, regardless of if its a McDonald’s cook or NFL quarterback, you don’t take less money to do the job. Nobody does, nor should they. Those people are called idiots. You take the best financial offer.
You cannot equate a professional sports player’s salary with that of a McDonald’s fry cook that easily. Most decent athletes (once into the pros) have a single goal in mind….a championship. Most players want that ring, then they look to get paid. Cousins has NEVER shown he has what it takes to win a ring and has actually proven with actions and words that he doesn’t have what it takes. He is solely about getting paid. When working within the constraints of a team, those who want championships will take a little less their way to make sure the things needed to win are included.
Um no. Most decent athletes look to maximize their earning potential in the short window they have to make it.
I’m guessing (and it’s only a guess), Atlanta will regret this contract in two years.
As a Falcons fan I hope not but we’ll see…I asked before @Baldkid who is the team you root for?
1 playoff win in his career. Vikings had to move on sometime. Kirk had every weapon needed to succeed on the Vikings: Rudolph, Hockinson, Dalvin Cook, Jefferson, Theilen, Diggs, & so on
D wasn’t that great the last 2 seasons
Defense hasn’t been that great since Purple People Eater.
Even the John Randle era wasn’t a great defense. They couldn’t win with Carter, Reed, and Moss along with a serviceable rb in Smith.
The early Zimmer years had some of the best defenses in the league. The trade-off came when they paid Cousins. Unless you hit on all of your picks, you have to make some choices on that side of the ball.
Every tool except a defense, something he had 0 control over*
Fixed it for you.
Cousins is a 4x pro bowl QB with a winning NFL record. Apparently he’s worth whatever ATL is going to pay him. He isn’t top-tier, but a damn good 2nd tier QB. ATL fans should be excited.
The offensive line was lousy 2018-21.
The defense was lousy 2020-22.
The running game was lousy 2018 and 2023, and mediocre 2021-22.
The closest to a complete team that Cousins had was in 2019 (defense, running game, receivers), except that the pass blocking was bad. But, Kirk played two of his worst games of his career against Green Bay, against whom he came into the season sporting a 2-0-1 record with passer ratings ranging from 118.8 to 145.8. We win one of those Packers games, and maybe Zimmer doesn’t sit most of the starters in Game 16.
I think Kirk became more clutch after the 2019 playoff victory in New Orleans, but those two GNB games in 2019 weigh heavy.
I’m a long time closet Vikings fan I’ve followed them as my NFC team second only to Cleveland since Wade Wilson, Kirk was good just doesn’t have that determination needed to make things happen the greats do. Likely HOF numbers at least statistically just not a winner.
I do think he took his game to another level the last two years. However, I wouldn’t have made that commitment at this age and coming off that injury, so I’m with the Vikings on this one.
And I can’t argue your point either, this past two years he did seem to try and be less reliant on the fact he thrived only when the play went as drawn up.
So I will ask the question…was it really Cousins take his play to another level (and is there another level he can get to, to become a SB winning QB), or was it the system that raised his play? The Viking won games without Cousins last year (not a lot, but a few)…so does the system make the QB here. I know this can’t be answered for a couple more years, as the Vikings have to now run with another QB to see if that is true or not.
It is funny that the Falcons have basically signed back up for a guy at the end of his career like Ryan who they just got rid of two years ago right before the cliff came, and Ryan didn’t have an Achilles tear he was coming back from. I get why Morris did it after how things went in Tampa, but I might have just drafted a guy if I was him. If this doesn’t work, and by working, I mean going deep into the playoffs, he’s out of there in two years tops.
Myself and most of the Falcons fans that I know, we all said the same….we should’ve just kept Matt Ryan at this point lol
Cousins made a fortune leveraging his middle tier talent. He’ll never win it all, except when it comes to looking at his bank balance.
Cousins’ age and his injury made it the right time for the Vikings to decide to move on.
^this
Nobody mentioned that fact that Cousins’ wife and family live in the greater Atlanta area…so there’s that.
Makes sense. It’s a natural path to retirement in a community where the Cousins plan to stay long term.
While as a QB Kirk Cousins remains an uptight accountant with a good throwing arm, he’s also a human being and your observation shows his choice this time is probably far less cynical than it looks on the surface.
Atl has a pretty decent team they just needed a QB, Cousins still has all the tools , even with his injury he can simply stay in the pocket much like Rodgers will do ( same injury) both will be fine . Unlike the Vikings ( who didn’t want to move on by the way) they will reset with another QB & rebuild .
I think Pittsburgh and Cousins would have been the better marriage.