The Minnesota Vikings and Kirk Cousins have two more years together after he signed a one-year extension with the team.
However, the contract has a no-trade clause, which signals he wants to stick with the Vikings.
But he has to prove himself if he wants the Vikings to make a long-term commitment to him.
His time with the team is met with mixed results.
In his four seasons with the Vikings, he’s only had one year that they made the playoffs.
The other three years saw him winning only eight games or fewer.
That is very concerning, seeing the team signed him to help them make the playoffs.
So how can he make the case to stay in Minnesota until he’s ready to retire?
Focus On What He Did Right In The Past
Cousins’ first year with the Vikings was his best year with passing yards and completion percentage.
Kirk Cousins finished the 2018 season second only to Drew Brees in both @PFF's Adjusted Completion % and in @NextGenStats' Completion Percentage Above Expectation.
PFF's breakdown by ball location is interesting: it's not elite pinpoint accuracy, but it's consistently catchable: pic.twitter.com/yT3Cf4OLf3
— Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) January 24, 2019
His second year saw him throw his fewest number of interceptions with the team and have the best record with them at 10-5.
The third year had him passing for a career-high 35 touchdowns.
The first three years had positive aspects.
He needs to figure out how he can put all of his good seasons together in one season.
When he puts all of those pieces together, he can make his case to Minnesota that he’s the quarterback they need.
However, if he doesn’t do these things, his retirement from the Vikings might come on their terms.
Can Cousins Make Improvements With What He Has In Minnesota?
Right now, Adam Thielen is Cousins’ top receiver.
Shades of 2020: Browns DB confused as to whether he should cover Vikings top receiver, Thielen.
— Ken Wood (@kenwoodstory) October 3, 2021
They have Dalvin Cook to help with the running game and keep pressure off him.
However, both Cook and Thielen have some issues with injuries.
Thielen has a history of ankle and thigh injuries that have kept him out of games.
Cook suffered shoulder and ankle injuries that plagued him in 2021.
Even though these two players are great, they aren’t durable.
The lack of durability can hurt the team as they want to make the playoffs.
It also gives him no actual weapons on offense if they are both on the sideline with injuries.
So Cousins’ fate could ride on the health of those two players in 2022.
It will be hard for him to improve without them on the field as a security blanket for him.
Could 2023 Be Cousins’ Last Year With The Vikings?
Things won’t be easy for Cousins in 2022, which could make 2023 his last year with the team.
However, he can pull off a good season with Thielen and Cook staying healthy.
Cook opens up doors for Cousins with the play-action pass.
When those doors get opened by Cook, a Cousins to Thielen connection downfield is possible.
So unless the Vikings draft someone in the 2022 NFL Draft, these are the tools he has to work with.
Even with limited tools, Cousins has proven himself with those tools in Minnesota.
However, if those tools break during the season, expect the Vikings to move on from Cousins when his contract expires.
NEXT: Vikings Receiver Tells Fans The Best Is Yet To Come