Kirk Cousins is staying put in Minnesota through at least 2023.
The Vikings are signing Cousins to a one-year, $35 million fully guaranteed extension that puts him under contract through 2023, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.
Cousins gets a raise to $40 million in 2022 with $55 million payable by next March and a no-trade clause, Pelissero added.
The Vikings have received trade interest regarding Cousins in recent weeks, but rookie head coach Kevin O’Connell has said since he was hired that he’s looking forward to working with Cousins and that’s played out with Cousins getting another big payday.
A three-time Pro Bowler with two of those selections coming during his four seasons with the Vikings, Cousins is coming off a season in which he threw for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. However, the Vikings went 8-9 and failed to make the postseason for the third time in four seasons with Cousins under center.
Nonetheless, Cousins continues to break the bank. As noted by Pelissero, between two franchise tags during his time in Washington and three deals in Minnesota, Cousins has secured fully guaranteed deals for eight straight seasons. And if the Cousins-O’Connell combo leads to a big 2021 season, Cousins might well be back working on another new deal around this same time next year.