Kirk Cousins Addresses Idea of Taking 'Hometown Discount' With Vikings

Would Cousins be open to taking less to remain in Minnesota? It's not totally clear.

Author:
Will Ragatz
Publish date:
Jan 9, 2024 3:51 PM EST

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Kirk Cousins will be one of the highest-profile free agents on the market this spring. He's made it known in recent years that he'd love to spend the rest of his career with the Vikings, but it's not that simple. If Cousins is going to return to Minnesota, there will have to be a contract agreement that makes sense for both sides.

So, would Cousins consider taking a "hometown discount" and signing with the Vikings for less than another team might offer? Maybe. But maybe not.

"(That's a question) I’ve thought about pretty much my whole 12 years," Cousins said during locker clean out day on Monday. "I do think it’s important to be aware of. I think God has blessed me financially beyond my wildest dreams, so at this stage in my career, the dollars are really not what it’s about.

"I had a coach who I was with, who was a younger coach at the time, this was back eight, nine years ago, before my first franchise tag, and we were talking about the situation and he made a great comment and he said, 'Kirk, it’s not about the dollars, but it is about what the dollars represent.' There will always be some of that, but at today’s point, structure is probably more important."

Structure, Cousins said, refers to "everything that isn’t the dollars." As for what he meant by "what the dollars represent," he declined to elaborate. "I think it's inherent," Cousins said. "When the coach said it to me, I didn’t really need it explained to me. I understood what he meant in that moment when he said that."

In other words, Cousins acknowledged that money isn't everything at this stage of his career, but also made it clear that money still carries weight and meaning. Presumably, he wants to be compensated on a level that recognizes what he's accomplished in the NFL and how well he played this season, even if there will be more factors that go into his decision than simply the size of the contract offer.

As usual, it'll simply come down to a negotiation between Cousins' camp and the Vikings. If the two sides can reach a number and structure that works for them, he'll be back in Minnesota. If they can't, 2023 will have been his sixth and final season with the Vikings.

"My 'want' for Kirk to come back isn’t just a 'me' thing," GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said after this year's trade deadline. "You know, it’s a negotiation. You come together at the table, and you try and see if everything works together, and we’ll have that dialogue when the time comes."

"I think I’ll let (my agent) Mike McCartney do his job, and I’ll let the team do theirs," Cousins said. "I’m not going to force anything, so we’ll let the team do what they want to do. It’s their club, and they’ll make their decisions, and then we’ll react accordingly."

Cousins certainly played well enough this season to make the decision a fascinating one for both him and the Vikings. He was thriving in his second season under Kevin O'Connell before going down with the first major injury of his career in Week 8. Even though he turns 36 in August, his torn Achilles seems unlikely to have much of an affect on his market in free agency.

O'Connell seems to want Cousins back. Players like Brian O'Neill and Justin Jefferson have expressed their fondness for him as their quarterback. It's just going to come down to the price. Adofo-Mensah might love to have Cousins back, but he also has to work out a massive Jefferson extension and attempt to fix the countless other holes on his roster. The Vikings might look to draft their quarterback of the future in April, whether they re-sign Cousins or not.

Cousins also has plenty to consider. Would he take less to stay with O'Connell and Jefferson? Which other teams could make sense for him this offseason? How does he strike the balance between chasing a Super Bowl and getting paid what he feels like he's worth?

"My kids love their kindergarten (in Minnesota)," Cousins said. "So, there's all kind of factors, but you also have to remind yourself, if it comes to it, I’ll have to find a good kindergarten somewhere else. You ultimately just want to try and find a fit that makes the most sense."