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The Minnesota Vikings reportedly don’t plan to waste time negotiating a new contract with Kirk Cousins.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported the Vikings plan to open contract talks with Cousins at the upcoming NFL scouting combine.
“He will certainly have a job, no doubt about it. People felt like he was throwing the ball better than he really ever had last year before he got hurt,” Fowler said Sunday on SportsCenter. “The Vikings, the feeling is they do want to re-sign him. They’re certainly open to talks. They’ll initiate talks around the NFL Scouting Combine next week. Will guaranteed money be the sticking point? He’s always gotten his guaranteed money. Are the Vikings and the new regime willing to do that on a long-term or even short-term deal? They have to decide that in the next few weeks.”
Cousins will be the top quarterback on the free-agent market despite his ongoing recovery from a torn Achilles. He threw for 2,331 yards and 18 touchdowns against five interceptions in eight games last season before suffering the first major injury of his career.
The Vikings are not expected to offer Cousins a fully guaranteed contract, which would be a deviation from their previous two deals with the 35-year-old. Cousins signed a three-year, $84 million deal with Minnesota in 2018 and then two subsequent extensions, totaling $101 million fully guaranteed over three years, that took him through the 2023 campaign.
Minnesota missed the playoffs in four of Cousins’ six seasons as the primary starting quarterback, but he’s been consistently effective as a passer. A team could view Cousins as the final piece in its championship puzzle and wind up lavishing him with a massive deal, but the Vikings do not appear willing to let him go without a fight.
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