Pelissero: Expect Kirk Cousins' Decision to Come Early Next Week
It sounds like we're going to know Kirk Cousins' decision by early next week, whether that's returning to Minnesota for a seventh season or heading somewhere else — with the Falcons looming as the heavy favorites if Cousins chooses to leave.
The NFL's legal tampering window opens at 11 a.m. central time on Monday. An announcement this weekend that Cousins is re-signing with the Vikings sounds unlikely, as he's expected to go into that tampering window and see what's out there. According to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, both Cousins and the Vikings are prepared for that to happen.
"I believe that Kirk Cousins is going to take this into Monday and he's gonna want to see exactly what the marketplace is out there," Pelissero said on the Rich Eisen Show. "Which is kinda what the Vikings had preferred to let him do as well. ... It makes sense for both sides for Kirk to go out and figure out exactly what his market is."
Cousins' contract is set to officially void at 3 p.m. central on Wednesday when the new league year begins. That will accelerate a $28.5 million dead cap charge onto the Vikings' books — unless, of course, he re-signs with Minnesota before then. Pelissero believes a decision will be made and announced before the new league year begins on Wednesday.
"Once we go to Monday at noon eastern time when that negotiating window opens, I would anticipate that things move pretty quickly," he said.
"You've still got about a 52-hour window where Cousins can go out, see what's there, and then figure out if the path forward is in Minnesota or someplace else. I don't think this is going to go into Wednesday. I don't think it's going to be 'Cousins needs to go take visits.' I think it's pretty clear who the teams involved are going to be. Whether it's Monday or Tuesday, I don't know, but I do think that's it's going to come together quickly."
This timeline aligns with what Kevin O'Connell said about Cousins at the combine last week. He said that Cousins is a "process guy" who has "earned the right to be a free agent." So it makes sense for the veteran quarterback to gauge the market and then make his decision.
The Vikings reportedly have some lines that they don't want to cross with Cousins, in terms of contract value and structure (the number of fully guaranteed years seems to be a big sticking point). If another team makes him a better offer, it feels like there's a good chance he's going to end up leaving Minnesota. But there's certainly still a chance that the market isn't as robust as he expects and he decides to stick around with the Vikings. We'll see.
As for the other teams that could be involved, everything still seems to be pointing towards the Falcons.
"There's been a lot of talk about Atlanta," Pelissero said. "I fully anticipate that Atlanta is going to be involved here. There are some other teams, like even Denver, that could potentially be involved. And the Vikings do want Kirk Cousins back, it's just a matter of — it's gotta be at a price that they can stomach."
Buckle up, folks. We're just days away from the most highly-anticipated decision of this NFL offseason.
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