After Justin Jefferson, the Vikings are ‘not willing’ to give QB Kirk Cousins a fully guaranteed contract

Kirk Cousins is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming off-season.

After Justin Jefferson, the Vikings are ‘not willing’ to give QB Kirk Cousins a fully guaranteed contract

Kirk Cousins (Via Imago)

The Minnesota Vikings are entering a crucial period ahead of the upcoming free agency. Their star quarterback, Kirk Cousins, is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the 2024 off-season. 

The Vikings still have three weeks to re-sign Cousins to a contract extension before he can test free agency. But the Vikings are hesitant to give a fully guaranteed contract to either Cousins or Justin Jefferson.

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According to Sports Illustrated insider Albert Breer, the Vikings don’t want to hand out a fully guaranteed deal to Cousins, who suffered a season-ending injury in 2023. Cousins is still recovering from his injury, but he is expected to be fully ready ahead of the 2024 season.

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The current Minnesota brass, now going into its third season, really likes Cousins, but it’s also been made clear that they’re not going to go contractually where the previous regime did twice, and give Cousins a fully guaranteed deal. 
Albert Breer wrote in his article

Just a few days ago, NBC’s Mike Florio reported that the Vikings are not willing to give a fully guaranteed contract to their star wide receiver Justin Jefferson.

According to Florio, the Minnesota-based franchise has an internal rule about not giving fully guaranteed contracts to non-QBs. The Vikings are reportedly ready to make Jefferson the highest-paid non-QB in the league, but they are unwilling to give him a fully-guaranteed deal.

In Cousin’s case, it’s different. Throughout his tenure in Minnesota, quarterback Kirk Cousins signed two fully guaranteed contracts. But now, the organization doesn’t want to do it. It’s understandable given that Cousins is 35- years -old and recovering from a torn Achilles tendon. 

But if they fail to extend Cousins before the free agency deadline, he would be free to sign with any other team. The Vikings don’t have the option to franchise tag cousins, and multiple teams will be ready to pounce on him in free agency.

Potential landing spots for Kirk Cousins if the Vikings fail to re-sign him

With just a few weeks left for the star of NFL free agency, there’s a possibility the Vikings might part ways with Kirk Cousins. If they fail to re-sign him, what would be good landing spots for the 4-time Pro Bowler?

Kirk Cousins Vikings
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (Image via IMAGO)

Cousins was in the middle of a stellar season before he suffered a season-ending injury. The 35-year-old still has a lot left in the tank and many teams would be willing to use him as their bridge quarterback.

Teams like the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders, and the Denver Broncos are in the market for a quarterback and might look at Cousins as an option.

As for Cousins, he would much rather stay in Minnesota instead of landing in a new system at this stage of his career. But he wouldn’t hesitate to join another team if the Vikings failed to satisfy him with their new contract.

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