According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Minnesota Vikings are reportedly planning to keep Kirk Cousins for the 2022 season.
The Super Bowl LVI @NFLGameDay Notebook with @MikeGarafolo and @TomPelissero: The #Bengals and Zac Taylor will work out a contract extension after today; The #Vikings will hire Kevin O'Connell & keep QB Kirk Cousins; The #49ers will try to trade Jimmy Garoppolo in the next month. pic.twitter.com/RndlQQYYk6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2022
“All indications at this point are Cousins is going to be the Vikings quarterback in 2022,” Pelissero said. “He worked with [new Vikings head coach] Kevin O’Connell in Washington. Cousins thinks that O’Connell is a brilliant football mind.”
Aside from the previous connection where O’Connell was Cousins’ quarterback coach in 2017, Pelissero acknowledged there are other hurdles to climb. That includes his $45 million cap hit, which is the third-highest in the NFL behind Matt Ryan and Aaron Rodgers.
But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that the Vikings “will figure something out” with Cousins. He also added the possibility of a new contract that would add years on to lower Cousins’ cap hit for this season.
Cousins has thrown for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in three of his four seasons in Minnesota. But the Vikings have just one playoff victory during that time.
With reports continuing to trickle in, it seems like new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will gamble that a new regime can help Cousins take the Vikings to the next level.
