Kirk Cousins said recently during an interview with Sky Sports that contract talks haven’t started and he doesn’t expect them to get going until March.
Cousins was asked during the interview what his mindset was heading into this offseason and the 35-year-old revealed that talks “usually don’t start until March” and that his camp is currently “waiting it out.”
"I would love to get those conversations going now"
Kirk Cousins says his future is unclear in Minnesota as free agency looms for the Vikings quarterback. pic.twitter.com/Z5afKw4Lzl
— Sky Sports NFL (@SkySportsNFL) January 30, 2024
“You know, many people who ask including friends and family are surprised to learn that the conversations really don’t begin until March,” Cousins said in the Jan. 30 interview. “So I would love to know where I’m going. I would love to get those conversations going. Now I’m just sitting at home, watching the playoffs. I don’t have much going on except for rehab but I really have to wait until the first couple weeks of March to be in those conversations. So that’s what we’re doing. We’re just waiting it out.”
Cousins also mentioned that he’s waiting to see how the NFL fills its coaching vacancies, but in the days since the interview took place the Washington Commanders have hired Dan Quinn and the Seattle Seahawks have hired Mike Macdonald, meaning all head coach openings have been filled.
The next important negotiating point may be at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis from Feb. 29 to Mar. 3. While teams can’t legally negotiate with Cousins’s camp until the league’s tampering window opens on Mar. 11, it’s a unkept secret that teams talk with agents at the combine and lay the groundwork for potential deals.
If Cousins’s camp wants to gauge the market, they could wait until the combine to talk to teams – especially as Cousins will be further in his rehab process after suffering a torn Achilles last October. But the Vikings could be on an accelerated timeline as they look to solidify their own quarterback situation.
The Vikings have $28.5 million in dead cap money next season after restructuring Cousins’ contract last March. If the two sides agree to a deal before the start of the league year on Mar. 11, the dead cap can be worked into a new contract. If not, the $28.5 million stays on the books whether Cousins re-signs with the Vikings or with a new team.
The Vikings would probably like to map out their offseason strategy by that point as well, either plotting to build around Cousins or planning their future without him.
For now, Cousins is in the same boat that Vikings fans are: waiting to see what the market brings and whether Cousins will return to Minnesota next season.
“Time will tell as…teams start to decide how they want to draft and how they want to handle free agency,” Cousins said. “We’ll start to figure out…including my own team with the Vikings, we’ll learn where I’m going to end up, but I have a few more weeks to wait.”
