Like a jealous schoolboy, Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post revealed the grief Jets fans have endured since Kirk Cousins declined New York’s offer and picked Minnesota instead.
Cannizzaro is imploring Jets fans to introduce Cousins to “Meadowlands Nice,” a play on the “Minnesota Nice” that Cousins has fallen in love with since inking an $84 million three-year deal with the Vikings, every dollar of which is guaranteed.
Why is New York out for revenge against a quarterback who never said a bad thing about their bad team?
According to Cannizzaro, it’s because Cousins signed for Minnesota despite the Jets offering Cousins a three-year contract with $90 million fully guaranteed – an amount Cousins confirmed in a video shared by the Vikings a handful of weeks ago.
Cannizzaro whines that the offer made by the Jets was from “confidential conversations.” Clearly he’s forgotten that the $30 million offer was widely reported before Cousins signed with Minnesota.
The only part the story Cousins revealed was that he and his agent used the bigger New York offer to get the Vikings to raise their offer from $25 million to $28 million annually. Simple leverage that happens in contract negotiations within every profession.
“So he left $6 million on the table to go to Minnesota. He chose the Mall of America over Manhattan, Olive Garden over Il Mulino,” writes Cannizzaro.
This is a reminder that despite its name, the Jets actually play in New Jersey.
What’s more is that Cannizzaro claims the Jets “are on a much better path” both “now and the future” than the Vikings.
Last we checked, the Vikings are 3-2-1 and the Jets are 3-3. That puts the Vikings ahead now, and the future looks awfully bright in Minnesota with key players Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Linval Joseph, Eric Kendricks, Harrison Smith, Xavier Rhodes, among others, under contract for several years.
But hey, the Jets have rookie quarterback Sam Darnold, whom they traded three second-round picks and their first-round pick to get. He’ll probably be good someday, but right now he’s a rookie about to face an on-charging Vikings defense.
Oh, and the reason Cousins took less money to play in Minnesota? “He was scared,” says Cannizzaro.
“Cousins was apprehensive about playing for the Jets because he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure and expectations of the New York fans and media. He was scared.”
We’ll find out how scared Cousins is when he takes on New York’s 23rd-ranked defense on Sunday.
Oh, and Mr. Cannizzaro: 52 degrees isn’t cold, so you might want to delete this part of your column: “Revenge is a dish best served cold. The high on Sunday is expected to be about 52 degrees.”
We wear shorts and roll down our windows when it’s 52.
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