Kirk Cousins is a Viking
- Mar 13, 2018
- 3 min read
Technically there are three landing spots for Cousins that are still being talked about.
- New York Jets
- Arizona Cardinals
- Minnesota Vikings
However, none have publicly made their feelings clear like the Vikings have. Here’s where the Vikings are on the matter. They are will to give Cousins a three year deal at $28 million a year, which roughly guarantees around $86 million (as reported by Ian Rapport) and as suspected, this tops the $27 million a year Jimmy Garoppolo.
Why are the Vikings so keen on spending so much money on Cousins?
Last year the Vikings suffered a setback when Sam Bradford went down in Week 1 with a knee injury thrusting Case Keenum into the starting role of Quarterback. When Bradford went down, the Vikings were counted out of the race for the playoffs, however Keenum played the season of his life and propelled the Vikings to a 13-3 season winning the NFC North division and losing out on a Super Bowl appearance by 1 win. Even with that result, there was never anyone who saw Case Keenum as a starting QB for Vikings in the upcoming 2018 season.
The Vikings were in an unusual position in that all three of their Quarterbacks, Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater and Sam Bradford were all soon to be free agents.
Why the Vikings need Cousins
The Vikings have had OK, quarterbacks for the last few years, but has been lacking is that something extra special. Yes Keenum played lights out football in 2017, however it’s clear that Cousins is an upgrade to Keenum.
Cousins is 30 years old, and has spent his six-year career in Washington. Over each of his three full starting seasons he has thrown for over 4,000 yards with a completion percentage of above 64% and at least 25 touchdowns.
The Vikings have a great offence, one that features Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen on the outside and a talented Kevin Rudolph at tight end as well as a top 10 rushing attack. Out of all the free agents, Kirk Cousins has been named number one. As the Vikings GM, you have to utilise that incredible offence and put a QB like cousins under center to really get the best from them.
With only one win away from appearing in the Super Bowl, the Vikings are clearly looking and chasing that Super Bowl in 2018. Their thinking is if they can get to within one win from appearing in the SB with Keenum, their back-up QB, what can they do with a QB like Cousins?
Is Cousins worth it?
Kirk Cousins played his college ball at Michigan State and was drafted by the Redskins in fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. In 2013 Cousins was named the starting Quarterback for the Redskins for the remainder of the season. In 2015, Cousins was named the starting QB over RG3 and has started every season since. Cousins stats are as follows (the three seasons he started full seasons):
- 2015 – 4,166 Yards, 29 TD’s, 11 INT
- 2016 - 4,917 Yards, 25 TD’s, 12 INT
- 2017 – 4,093 Yards, 27 TD’s, 13 INT
His stats show just how dependable and consistent he is, and this is exactly what the Vikings need after their 2017 season. Its apparent how other players view Kirk Cousins, with notable players like Von Miller lobbying for Kirk Cousins. That’s important in this modern NFL landscape, a QB has to lead, and that’s exactly what the Vikings get if this deal is done. They didn’t call him Captain Kirk in Washington for no reason.
We should see Cousins sign this deal tomorrow. Watch this space.
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