NFL Rumors: Kirk Cousins wants Josh Allen-esque $45,000,000 contract as free agency looms large over Vikings QB
Kirk Cousins is looking to get paid this free agency. He will be one of the top quarterbacks available despite coming off a torn Achilles. Had he not torn his Achilles, the player likely would have made his fifth Pro Bowl.
Despite being 35 years old and coming off a serious injury, Cousins is looking for a hefty guaranteed amount of money, according to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press.
"Buzz now is that it will take $90 million guaranteed for two years, despite that he's still not yet fully recovered from Achilles surgery in November, to sign [Cousins]. If that's the case, he certainly won't get that from the Vikings," Walters reported.
If Cousins gets the $45 million guaranteed that he's reportedly after, it would tie him with Patrick Mahomes in average annual value, placing him eighth in the NFL overall. But, as quarterbacks continue to get paid more and more each year, he is looking to cash in for likely his last big payday in the NFL.
Before the injury, Cousins was 216-for-311 for 2,331 yards, 18 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Kirk Cousins is uncertain about where he may sign
Kirk Cousins has been with the Minnesota Vikings since 2018. He broke into the NFL with the Washington Commanders, and took over as the starting quarterback for Robert Griffin III. After six years with the team, Cousins signed a three-year fully guaranteed deal with the Vikings.
Now, after six years with Minnesota, the player spoke to Sky Sports NFL, admitting that he doesn't know where he may land:
"Many people who ask including friends and family are surprised conversations don't really begin until March," Cousins told Sky Sports NFL. "I would love to know where I'm going, I would love to get those conversations going now, but I'm just sitting at home watching the playoffs and don't have much going on apart from rehab."
Cousins added:
"But I really have to wait until the first couple of weeks in March to begin those conversations. I'm just waiting it out and time will tell as those final head-coaching vacancies fill, and teams start to decide how they want to draft and handle free agency, and we'll start to figure out - including my own team, the Vikings - where I'm going to end up. But we'll have to wait."
If Cousins doesn't re-sign with Minnesota, where he may go is uncertain, but he is reportedly looking for a two-year $90 million deal.