The Minnesota Vikings are staying with Kirk Cousins as their starting quarterback after both parties agreed to a one-year, fully-guaranteed deal worth $35 million.
Included in this deal are a $20 million roster bonus for the 2023 season and two voidable years worth $12.5 million in dead cap.
Cousins also has a no-trade clause, giving him the power to dictate where he wants to go.
The deal makes him the Vikings’ starter until 2023, giving him two seasons to prove that he’s worth all that money.
In connection with cash, NBC Sports’ Warren Sharp seems to be suggesting that Cousins is an overpaid quarterback who hasn’t achieved much in his career.
Kirk Cousins has a 59-59-2 record as an NFL quarterback, performs slightly above average, and has made $231,669,486 in his career
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) March 13, 2022
Sharp tweeted, “Kirk Cousins has a 59-59-2 record as an NFL quarterback, performs slightly above average, and has made $231,669,486 in his career.”
That’s a huge financial gain for a player who only had three playoff games as the starter.
His biggest deal came in 2018 when he signed a three-year, $84 million contract to join the Vikings.
Is Cousins A Franchise Quarterback?
There are two sides to this argument, the first being that he has what it takes to lead the Vikings to a playoff return.
After all, he’s still the guy who threw the ball to Justin Jefferson and set up Dalvin Cook.
Likewise, he only had seven interceptions last season, compared to 33 touchdowns.
However, could it be that he’s just not good enough when asked to be better than average?
His most wins in a season were ten, and he had 12 fumbles in 2021.
Regardless of which side you’re taking, one thing’s clear: Cousins’ money does not translate to results.
Therefore, he must turn up his game over the next two seasons if he wants to remain in Minnesota.
NEXT: Kirk Cousins Comments On His New Contract Extension
