MINNEAPOLIS – A month after Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer publicly backed Kirk Cousins and called the quarterback ‘our man’ amid rumors and speculation as to whether he could be traded this off-season, the general manager of Minnesota Rick Spielman supported the QB on Wednesday.
“I think Coach [Zimmer] put that to bed when he spoke after the season, ‘Spielman told reporters.’ Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. I know there are a lot of rumors floating around, but Kirk Cousins is our quarterback. We felt he played really well last year, probably the best he has ever played.
“Kirk is our quarterback moving forward and I look forward to seeing him [having] another year in this system. I am excited for him and what he will bring to our team next year. “
With the potential for so many off-season quarterback moves, Cousins’s name has entered the conversation as a player who could start for a new team in 2021. Since Cousins no longer has a no-trade relationship clause in his contract, further from him this is more feasible off-season if Minnesota is to exercise that option.
After signing a record three-year, $ 84 million fully guaranteed as a free agent in 2018, Cousins signed a two-year extension of $ 66 million last March, earning a base salary of $ 21 million by 2021. His base salary of $ 35 million for 2022 will be fully guaranteed if he is on the roster on the third day of the 2021 league year, which begins March 17.
Even if Spielman pours water on any trade speculation, the Vikings could be in a position to reflect on life after Cousins if the team chooses to continue from the quarterback after his contract expires in 2022. With three choices in the top 92 in the April NFL draft, selecting a quarterback to eventually take over for Cousins could be part of Minnesota’s succession plan to the position.
But after Cousins threw 35 career touchdowns in 2020, Spielman doesn’t think much about leaving the quarterback, given how many quality seasons he thinks Cousins has left.
“I don’t ever want to force a quarterback if there isn’t a quarterback to take with you, because you make mistakes,” said Spielman. ‘I don’t know what is the best term to use without you putting it in quotation marks … Anyway [of position], take the philosophy of the best player available where you are choosing. Or if there’s a guy you crave who’s still hanging out is aggressive enough to go up and get that player regardless of position.
“I still think that Kirk is still in the prime of his career right now, at the age of 32. And he still has a lot of good football in him. design condition, as good. “