The Minnesota Vikings have signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins to a one-year contract extension, according to his agent Mike McCartney. It’s worth $35 million guaranteed, according to a league source. Cousins will make $40 million in 2022 and is due $55 million by next March. The deal includes a no-trade clause, per a source. The Vikings saved $14 million under the salary cap. His salary cap figure is $31.5 million.
What Kirk Cousins’ extension means for the Vikings
Cousins, 33, passed for 33 touchdowns and 7 interceptions last season, completing 66.3% of his throws for 4,221 yards. He also rushed for 115 yards and 1 score. Cousins was potentially available via a trade for the right price. In fact, Minnesota had received several trade calls about their franchise quarterback.
The Vikings’ new coaching staff, including coach Kevin O’Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, are excited about coaching Cousins and envision a strong offense with him, wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen, and running back Dalvin Cook, the centerpiece of their offense.
This move takes the Vikings out of the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. Previously, they had expressed interest in Watson despite the presence of Cousins, according to sources.
“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.”
“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” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Menshah said. “High level quarterback play is a prerequisite to building a championship team, and we are confident Kirk will continue along that path.”
Kirk Cousins cashes in once again
Cousins will have made $231.7 million in his career by the end of the season. Dating back to 2016, he has had fully guaranteed clauses in his contract. In 2016, he made $19.9 million, $23.9 million in 2017, $26 million in 2018, and $28 million in 2019,.
In 2020, Cousins signed a two-year contract extension worth $66 million with the Minnesota Vikings. He was entering the final year of his original three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings.
In the final year of his original deal, Cousins had $30 million in fully guaranteed salary. Therefore, the contract had shaped up as a three-year, $96 million pact. Cousins converted that $30 million in salary into a signing bonus as part of the extension. $31 million in new money was guaranteed, and a further $35 million becomes guaranteed on the third day of the 2023 league year.
With this extension, Cousins will make $40 million in 2022 and $30 million in 2023. The contract has two voidable years to lower his cap number to $31.25 million this year. By this time next year, $50 million of the deal will be paid out to Cousins.