“After significant and positive dialogue with Kirk and his representatives, we were unable to reach agreement on a contract that fits the short- and long-term visions for both Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings,” said Kwesi Adofo-Mensah Vikings GM. A day after Adofo-Mensah made this statement, Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons on a $180 million deal for four years.
While Vikings fans were sad to lose their six-year quarterback, many of them agree that letting Cousins go was the best thing that could have happened for the franchise. Cousins, who is no doubt an aging quarterback also suffered an achilles injury during the 2023 season and could hinder his performance in future years.
Due to his injury and very high price tag Vikings GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who has a background in the stock market decided Cousins was not worth keeping around. Letting him go also has large implications for the future of the franchise. The Vikings are expected to draft a quarterback in the first round and there is some talk of the Vikings trading in the draft to get an even better quarterback. Right now the Vikings have two first-round draft picks at pick 11 and 23. With this draft capital, they could trade with another team that is not looking to get a quarterback with the first few picks. Draft analysts believe that there are potentially six high-quality quarterback prospects and the Vikings are most interested in Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy.
Although Cousin’s contract with the Atlanta Falcons is much larger than any contract he signed with the Vikings or the Commanders a large part of it is not guaranteed. Out of the 180 million dollars only 100 million of it is guaranteed. To get the other 80 million Cousins will have to perform well not just in the regular season but also in the playoffs.
Along with pursuing a quarterback early in the draft, Adofo-Mensah also brought in San Francisco Sam Darnold. Darnold will have a strong chance of starting however it all depends on how he performs in training camp. The best best-case scenario for the Vikings, Darnold will perform well and the Vikings will be able to let their future quarterback develop for his first season.
The departure of Cousins is the start of a new era for the Vikings, one that brings a lot of uncertainty, but also a lot of potential for high achievement. The next few years will tell if Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell will be able to create a winning franchise and Vikings fans have a positive outlook for the future despite Adofo-Mensah’s past problems with busting on draft picks.
