There has been an ongoing debate as to whether Kirk Cousins will be returning for a fifth season in Minneapolis. The now 11-year pro is in year four of his tenure with Minnesota and the first of what was a two-year extension. From a numbers side of things, Cousins is very good as he was playing at an MVP level through 11 weeks this season before falling off as of late.
However, the only thing that matters in the NFL is wins, and for whatever reason Cousins has never had the wins to back up those stats. Whether it is bad luck, play calling or some underlying mystery that is unidentified, Cousins has never been able to deliver consistently despite what the numbers say. With the Vikings season on the line this week in Green Bay, Cousins tested positive for COVID earlier in the week and was thus ruled out for the game leaving Sean Mannion in to start.
We saw how that went and now Minnesota is out of the playoffs because of it. A lot of fans are blaming him for last night considering how he was unvaccinated, but even those with the vaccine can get COVID so that point is invalid. If last night’s game did show us anything, it is that life without Cousins will be rough for Minnesota unless they figure something out fast. That leaves us to the next question, Do Cousins return for next season?
With 41 million dollars owed to him next year, I find it very unlikely that he returns unless some sort of contract restructure or an extension is given to alleviate some of the salary burdens. Even with that, you may see the Vikings move on from him as that could ultimately be the direction this team is heading especially if a new head coach is set to arrive in Minnesota.
This will be one of the biggest storylines to follow this offseason and something that will determine not only the short-term success of the Vikings but also the long-term success. Here are three potential options that the Vikings can look at if they move on from Cousins.
Free Agent Market: The option would be to pursue the free-agent market as cutting Cousins would save them 31 million in cash. However, there are not too many names that you would trust to lead your franchise long-term. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not only aging but coming off an injury as is Jameis Winston so those two seem out of the mix.
