Nov 14, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) waves to fans as he leaves the field after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
For Minnesota Vikings fans hoping the team moves on from quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2022 may need to pump the brakes.
The Minnesota Vikings were in need of a new general manager after they fired Rick Spielman after the season. They found their guy this week, as they hired former Cleveland Browns vice president of football operations Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
As has been the case ever since Vikings ownership parted ways with Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer after failing to make the playoffs, all eyes were on whether they would move on from quarterback Kirk Cousins. One Twitter user points out that fans should pump the brakes, considering Cousins does have analytics working in his favor.
New GM hire does not mean Vikings will move on from Kirk Cousins in 2022
Cousins may have analytics working in his favor, but there is also his contract.
The Vikings signed Cousins to a two-year, $66 million contract extension in the 2020 league year. Entering 2022, Cousins is being paid a base salary of $35 million and carries a cap hit of $45 million, per Spotrac. The only way they could move on from him without eating a huge amount of dead money is to trade him to a team willing to take on his salary and cap hit. It is unknown if any team would be willing to do so.
Cousins put up solid numbers this season, as he threw for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 66.3-percent of his passes. Yet, the team finished with the 8-9 record and Cousins was not on the field for a must-win game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 17.
Of course, fans won’t know what the plans are for the Vikings under Adofo-Mensah. The only thing they can do is just wait and see what happens once the playoffs end.