Vikings like that: Cousins gets extension, another $35M guaranteed

As NFL teams continue to angle for new quarterbacks this offseason, the Minnesota Vikings are sticking with Kirk Cousins.

Despite having a new regime with an offensive-minded head coach, the Vikings on Sunday evening ended any chance of trading Cousins when they signed him to an extension that will pay him an extra $35 million guaranteed. He will make $40 million in 2022 and $30 million in 2023. The extension includes voidable years in 2024 and 2025, which greatly reduced his cap hit for the upcoming season.

“I am thrilled for the opportunity to play for Kevin and could not be more excited about the direction of our team,” Cousins said in a statement. “As soon as we return to TCO Performance Center next month, we will begin working toward our collective goal of bringing a championship to Vikings fans.”

When the Vikings hired Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell and new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, some thought that meant the team would be moving on from Cousins. But O’Connell, who was Cousins’ quarterbacks coach in Washington in 2017, is sticking with the quarterback that is widely considered above league average, but below Super Bowl-caliber. 

Under Cousins, the Vikings have never been bad, finishing above .500 or just below it in all four seasons. But in four seasons, the Vikings have made the playoffs just once. The 33-year-old former Redskin is coming off arguably the best season of his career, throwing 33 touchdowns versus seven interceptions with his third-straight campaign of a passer rating over 100. 

“Kirk was one of the first players I called when I joined the Vikings, and it was immediately clear how much he cares about this organization and about winning,” Adofo-Menshah said in a statement. “High level quarterback play is a prerequisite to building a championship team, and we are confident Kirk will continue along that path.”

After the deal was announced, NFL fans once again marveled at Cousins’ career earnings. Typically, fans see expensive quarterbacks and think of Super Bowl winners like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Meanwhile, Cousins, who has just one playoff victory in seven seasons as a starter, is one of the game’s wealthiest players. 

Kirk Cousins has a 59-59-2 record as an NFL quarterback, performs slightly above average, and has made $231,669,486 in his career

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 13, 2022

By the end of the 2023 campaign, Cousins will have amassed more than $230 million in his career — and he’ll likely be set up for another short-term, mostly guaranteed contract that could put him over $300 million. The salary heists started back in 2016 and 2017 when he played under the franchise tag with Washington. He then signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million deal with the Vikings 

Kirk Cousins is in the Business of Football HOF my gawd!

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) March 13, 2022

His $158.9 million in salary earnings between 2016 and 2021 is the most by any player in the NFL. 

I’ve been saying for the longest…Kirk Cousins knows how to make that moneyyyyyyyyyyyy.

— Joy Taylor (@JoyTaylorTalks) March 13, 2022