It’s official. Kirk Cousins has finally secured a long-term deal. The former 2012 fourth-round pick has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $86 million fully guaranteed deal with the Minnesota Vikings. Both ESPN’s Adam Schefter and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport initially reported on details of his new pact.
Kirk Cousins plans to sign a three-year, fully-guaranteed contract from the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, sources tell ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2018
From earlier: Kirk Cousins got a 3-year, $86M or so fully guaranteed offer that he’ll likely sign after visiting the #Vikings. They believe they’ve got him. https://t.co/un7FKcgIfA
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2018
Report: Kirk Cousins to Sign Fully Guaranteed Three-Year Deal With Minnesota Vikings
With the announcement of Alex Smith being traded to the Washington Redskins, Cousins’ years in Washington effectively came to an end. Many people believe that he is the best quarterback available in this year’s free agency market. While he is not generally considered to be a top 10 quarterback, his strong play the last three years has not gone unnoticed. Despite seeming to be a franchise quarterback, he and the Redskins could never agree over a long-term deal for three years. This led to him getting franchise tagged repeatedly.
The Redskins overall had a disappointing season in 2017 at 7-9. However, Cousins still had a pretty good season with 27 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions. The highlight of the season was him leading a game-winning drive against the Seattle Seahawks in Seattle – a rare and difficult feat. Since becoming the starter in 2015, he has an 81-36 touchdown-interception ratio, plus 11 rushing touchdowns. 2016 was arguably his best season, with him throwing for almost 5,000 yards and getting named to the Pro Bowl. The Redskins only made one playoff appearance during that time: a Wild Card loss. However, Cousins has been undeniably impressive during his years there regardless.
Cousins played football in high school at Holland Christian in Michigan. He then played for Michigan State during his college years from 2008-2011. He was named to the second team All-Big Ten during his final season there.
Cousins was drafted in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Redskins as an insurance policy to the more highly touted Robert Griffin III. Ironically, Griffin (former Rookie of the Year) is now off the Redskins and did not play during 2017. Meanwhile, Cousins has established himself as a viable starter in the league. Cousins started a handful of games from 2012-2014 as the backup to Griffin before taking over permanently in 2015.
