When it came to quarterback Kirk Cousins’ contract, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chose not to rock the boat with his first big decision as Minnesota Vikings general manager. The two sides agreeing to a one-year, $35 million fully guaranteed extension had Vikings fans scratching their heads.
How is this move any different than the one former general manager Rick Spielman made when he decided to keep kicking the can down the road by agreeing to a two-year, $66 million extension with Cousins in 2020?
There are serious concerns the Vikings could be traveling along a dangerous path that will lead to many of the same problems that sunk the previous regime. The vibe emanating out of Eagan has been different with Adofo-Mensah showing complete confidence in Cousins as the team’s starting quarterback.
“Kirk was one of the first players I called when I joined the Vikings, and it was immediately clear how much he cares about this organization and about winning,” Adofo-Mensah said as news dropped of the reported extension, via the team’s official website. “High-level quarterback play is a prerequisite to building a championship team, and we are confident Kirk will continue along that path.”
The argument against Cousins has never really been about his talent as much as it’s his contract numbers in relation to his overall production. Even as a borderline top-10 quarterback, Cousins was expected to carry the third-highest cap hit among all NFL quarterbacks in 2022 ($45 million).
The good news for the Vikings is the new contract has been structured in a way that not only gives Cousins a bump in pay, but it also alleviates some cap stress the team faced with him on the roster. Whether that’s enough to make a difference when it comes to actually winning football games remains to be seen.
So far, it’s a new regime making the same decisions in Minnesota.
