By early next week, we ought to know where Cousins will be signing.
Kirk Cousins’ choice appears to be known by early next week, and if he decides to depart, the Falcons are the clear favorites. Cousins could choose to return to Minnesota for a seventh season.
Monday at 11 a.m. central time is when the NFL’s window for lawful tampering opens. It seems improbable that Cousins will resign with the Vikings this weekend, as he is anticipated to take advantage of the window for tampering and explore his options. Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports that Cousins and the Vikings are ready for that to occur.
Pelissero stated on the Rich Eisen Show, “I think Kirk Cousins is going to take this into Monday and he’s going to want to see exactly what the marketplace is out there.” Which is also, in a way, what the Vikings had wanted to let him do. It is in everyone’s best interests for Kirk to go out and determine just what his market is.”
The new league year is scheduled to start on Wednesday at 3 p.m. central time, officially nullifying Cousins’ contract. That will expedite the Vikings’ $28.5 million dead cap charge, if he doesn’t re-sign with Minnesota before then. Pelissero thinks a choice will be taken and declared prior to the start of the new league season on Wednesday.
“Once we go to Monday at noon eastern time when that negotiating window opens, I would anticipate that things move pretty quickly,” he stated.
Cousins still have roughly 52 hours to go outside, have a look around, and determine whether Minnesota or another location is the best place to go from there. This is not going to last till Wednesday, in my opinion. Not that it will be, in my opinion. ‘Cousins ought to go take visits.’ The teams that will be involved seem quite obvious to me. I’m not sure if it will happen on Monday or Tuesday, but I do believe everything will come together swiftly.”
This chronology corresponds with Kevin O’Connell’s remarks from last week’s combine regarding Cousins. Cousins, according to him, is a “process guy” who “earned the right to be a free agent.” Therefore, it makes sense for the seasoned quarterback to assess the situation before choosing.
Regarding deal value and structure, the Vikings apparently have some boundaries they don’t want to cross with Cousins (a major sticking point seems to be the amount of fully guaranteed years). It seems likely that he will wind up leaving Minnesota if a better offer comes from another team. However, there’s still a risk that the market doesn’t perform as well as he anticipates, in which case he chooses to remain with the Vikings. Let’s see.
Regarding the other teams that might be engaged, the Falcons continue to be the clear front-runner.
“Atlanta has been the subject of a lot of discussion,” Pelissero stated. “I have no doubt that Atlanta will play a role in this. There exist additional teams that might be participating, including Denver. The Vikings do desire Kirk Cousins’ return; the only need is that it come at a cost they can bear.”
People, fasten your seatbelts. The most awaited decision of this NFL offseason is just a few days away.