The biggest question of the Vikings offseason is, without a doubt, what they will do at quarterback. There are four routes they can go and all of them are interesting.
Minnesota is in this situation after not extending Kirk Cousins’ contract last offseason, for better or worse. Cousins now has the option of entering free agency for the first time since 2018, and this time there are more suitors (Minnesota, Atlanta, Las Vegas, New England, Pittsburgh, others) than there were back then.
When the season began this seemed like the least likely option. Now, after watching nine weeks of mostly poor QB play, a growing portion of the fanbase is clamoring to bring Cousins back. That will come with a significant cost though.
With the amount of teams vying for competent QB play, Cousins’ agent is, once again, in prime position to land a big contract for his client. The Vikings, already up against the cap, still have to sign all-world receiver Justin Jefferson and decide if they want to bring back pass rusher Danielle Hunter. They also have to pay left tackle Christian Darrisaw if they want him sticking around for the long haul.
If Cousins takes a ‘hometown discount,’ like he was asked about Monday, the odds of Cousins returning would seem to rise. Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah stated Wednesday that he wants Kirk “the player” back but it “ultimately always comes down to can you find an agreement that works for both sides.”
This option severely limits what the Vikings can do in adding free agent pieces, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
