When the news of Kirk Cousins and the Vikings agreeing to an extension first came out, the reaction among Vikings fans was mixed.
Some people think Cousins is the quarterback of the future, and that the Vikings could win a Super Bowl with him behind center. Other people, well, don’t think that, and have been voicing their frustrations over the new deal.
But with the way the Vikings’ salary cap was at the time, the move to extend Cousins was a good one, regardless of how you feel about him.
Why would you want the Vikings to keep a quarterback you don’t like? For Minnesota, the salary cap was way too much of a problem.
A source told Tom Pelissero of NFL.com that the new deal for Cousins clears $10 million in 2020 cap space. That means that the team has more space to sign players in free agency. This is a year where Minnesota could see the likes of Anthony Harris, Mackensie Alexander, Everson Griffen, Trae Waynes and others leave in free agency.
If the Vikings want continuity, or they want to sign new players who will help them, they have to lessen the hit Cousins contract took on this season, and they reportedly did that.
Cousins has his strengths and weaknesses, and if you don’t like Cousins, you probably already know his record against top defenses in the NFL. However, if Minnesota realizes it doesn’t want what Cousins has to offer, the team can attempt a trade or find a quarterback on a rookie contract. That’s not the best option, but it’s a safety net if things truly get bad.
But as of now, the outlook isn’t bad. Cousins improved greatly in a system that didn’t rely on him dropping back as much. He won 10 games in the regular season, and a game in the playoffs. This team is close, it just needs more pieces around Cousins to succeed. With the new contract, the Vikings can add some of those pieces for this season.