The franchise and the former quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins, arrived at a four-year contract agreement on Monday, according to McCartney, Cousins’ agent.
According to a source who spoke with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cousins has a $180 million contract with a $100 million guarantee ($45 million per season).
Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah released a statement saying, “After significant and positive dialogue with Kirk and his representatives, we were unable to reach an agreement on a contract that fits the short- and long-term visions for both Kirk and the Minnesota Vikings.” Kirk holds a special place in Vikings history, and we are grateful for his six years of leadership and services to the team and the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. We hope the best for him, his wife Julie, and their kids. We have always approached free agency with several tiers of contingencies at quarterback. We intend to keep building a roster worthy of a championship as we move forward.
Cousins becomes part of an offensive unit that features multiple players chosen in the opening round. The right tackle Jake Matthews, the right tackle Kaleb McGary, and the two-time Pro Bowl right guard Chris Lindstrom are the three offensive linemen the Falcons selected in the first round. As skill position players, he can also work with tight end Kyle Pitts, receiver Drake London, and running back Bijan Robinson, Atlanta’s final three first-round selections.
With the signing of Cousins, Atlanta should have concluded its multi-year hunt for a replacement for Matt Ryan, the 2016 NFL MVP, who was traded to the Indianapolis Colts before to the 2022 season after the team’s attempt to sign Deshaun Watson failed.
Following that, the Falcons selected Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 draft and signed Marcus Mariota to start at quarterback. Before being benched in favor of Ridder, who started the team’s final four games in 2022 and went on to start 13 games in 2023, Mariota started 13 games.
In 2023, Ridder was benched twice in favor of backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke. Despite neither player’s strong showing, the Falcons fired longtime head coach Arthur Smith and installed Raheem Morris in his stead. Owner Arthur Blank alluded to the quarterback play from the previous season as “deficient” at a news conference after Smith was fired, promising to fix the team’s quarterback problems.