Kirk Cousins, the QB of Minnesota Vikings, has agreed to a one-year contract deal worth $35 million

The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed to terms on a new contract on Sunday, giving him an immediate boost and completely guaranteeing an additional season in 2023 to help alleviate the team’s tight salary cap.

Cousins will remain the Vikings’ quarterback as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O’Connell usher in a new era for the team.

The revelation was released by the Vikings on Sunday evening, adding to Cousins’ extraordinary success in the business world.

Cousins said in a statement, “I am thrilled for the opportunity to play for Kevin and could not be more excited about the direction of our team.” “As soon as we return to TCO Performance Center next month, we will begin working toward our collective goal of bringing a championship to Vikings fans,” he said.

Cousins was set to receive $35 million in cash and $45 million against the Vikings’ cap in 2022 under the rules of his prior contract. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Bulls lowered his cap number to $31.25 million this season by extending the agreement through 2023 and adding two voidable years in 2024 and 2025.

Cousins will earn $40 million in 2022 and $30 million in 2023, according to Forbes. Cousins will receive $50 million of the $70 million by mid-March 2023, and the rest is absolutely guaranteed. Given the Vikings’ salary limit issues, Cousins’ immediate future had been in doubt. They needed to clear $17 million in cap space by Wednesday to be within the $208.2 million cap set by the NFL for 2022.

O’Connell had previously worked with Cousins in Washington, but when asked if Cousins would be his quarterback moving forward during his introductory news conference last month, O’Connell responded that Cousins was “under contract,” which was a rather lukewarm endorsement. Cousins’ contract made a release impossible, even if that was the team’s new leadership’s preference, and it’s unknown if any meaningful trade talks took place.

During Cousins’ tenure, the Vikings have only placed in the top 10 in scoring once (in 2019), and finished 14th in scoring and 12th in yards in 2021. Cousins, on the other hand, had one of his best seasons as a quarterback last season, throwing for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Minnesota lost eight one-score games and had 14 games decided by one possession (the most of any team in 2021).

Cousins, 33, has exploited the NFL’s labour laws more than any other player in league history. In his final two seasons with Washington, he played under the franchise tag in 2016 and 2017, and then utilised that power to enter the free-agent market in 2018. He’s already signed three fully guaranteed contracts with the Vikings, and his $158.9 million in earnings from 2016 through 2021 is the most in the NFL during that time frame.

He’ll have made at least $231.7 million in his career by the end of the 2023 season.