At end of Vikings season, Kirk Cousins talks financial concessions and succession plans

For more than two months since a torn right Achilles tendon raised the possibility he had played his last snaps in a Vikings uniform, Kirk Cousins has made it clear he wants to come back to Minnesota in 2024 on a new contract.

Vikings General Manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and coach Kevin O'Connell have reciprocated those sentiments, and as players cleaned out their lockers on Monday, right tackle Brian O'Neill gave perhaps the most emphatic endorsement any of Cousins' teammates have offered in support of his return.

"Absolutely. Absolutely," O'Neill said when asked if he wants Cousins back. "One thousand million percent. That's my guy, and I'll ride for him. I'll tell anybody that. Ten thousand percent, I'd rather have nobody else than Kirk under center for us. I love that guy. I can talk about Kirk for the next two hours if we want. He has that kind of impact on the locker room."

Players departed the Vikings locker room to begin their offseasons after final team meetings on Monday. By the time they return to the locker room in April, the Vikings will have gone through contract negotiations with Cousins, which could be one of the most significant steps in an offseason that could define Adofo-Mensah's and O'Connell's tenures. It's through those negotiations where the quarterback's and the team's interest in continuing to work together will crystallize.

Cousins, who spoke with reporters on Monday, reiterated his desire to stay in Minnesota and said he understood the possibility the Vikings might draft his successor in the spring even if they signed him.

"I don't think you can do your job as a leader of an organization without saying, 'What's our succession plan? What do we have down the pipeline?' That's just being responsible and [doing] due diligence," he said.

The 35-year-old QB also signaled a willingness to at least consider a more affordable deal that would give the Vikings the salary cap space to address other positions. "I think that God has blessed me financially beyond my wildest dreams. So at this stage in my career, the dollars are really not what it's about," he said, adding, "At this point, structure is probably more important."

But it's still unlikely to be cheap for the Vikings to bring back Cousins, who ranked near the top of the league in most passing categories at the time of his injury and could return from his surgery during organized team activities this spring. He said Monday his recovery continues to be free of "curveballs," adding his injury shouldn't affect the way he plays as a pocket passer. By the time his agent, Mike McCartney, goes to the NFL combine at the end of February to meet with teams about possible free agents, he could be armed with video of Cousins running as he tries to convince teams the Achilles injury isn't a concern.

"I'm not going to try to sell myself, if you will," Cousins said. "I think I kind of like to let people make their own decisions. Because I do think that the league needs quarterbacks, and if you're trying to talk yourself out of a quarterback, then I can't help you much. The Achilles is going to heal. It's on track and I'm a pocket passer and there's a lot of time before next season. So for a lot of reasons, it doesn't concern me."

Cousins sought a long-term deal from the Vikings before both the 2022 and 2023 seasons; the team gave him a one-year, $35 million extension before 2022, and added two void years to his existing deal last year when talks broke down on a long-term plan. Multiple sources said the sides reached an impasse on the deal's guarantee structure; Cousins' camp wanted guaranteed money into 2025, while the Vikings were only willing to offer guarantees through 2024.

A two-year deal this year would get Cousins through 2025, while possibly giving the Vikings a window to draft and develop his successor, but the team will have to weigh its interest in giving Cousins the commitment he's wanted, given the fact he's coming off an injury and headed for his 36th birthday.

"I think I'll let Mike McCartney do his job and I'll let the team do theirs," Cousins said. "I'm not going to force anything. So we'll let the team do what they want to do. It's their club and they'll make their decisions and then we'll react accordingly."

When Cousins signed with the Vikings in March 2018, his oldest son Cooper was less than six months old. Now, he's the oldest of two boys who've spent much of their lives in Minnesota, and is a kindergartner who loves his school. "So there's all kinds of factors," Cousins said.

"You ultimately just want to try to find a fit that makes the most sense and that you feel peace about," he added. "I felt great peace and clarity when I committed to Michigan State. I felt great peace when I arrived in Washington and saw the coaches I was going to get to work with. I felt great peace when I came here. And that's really what you're looking for this time around: 'Where am I getting peace from the Lord?' And then follow it."

As he approaches free agency for the second time in his career, Cousins has public support from both O'Neill and wide receiver Justin Jefferson for his return. The Vikings' quarterback plan, for both 2024 and the next several years, could be shaped by their efforts to turn their mutual interest with Cousins into a deal.

"Regardless of what everybody in the world, whatever they believe or whatever their purpose is or their moral compass or how they go about their life, I think people can look at Kirk and say, whatever his is, he lives that fully, 100 percent every day, and he's more true to himself than most people I've ever met," O'Neill said. "He's true to himself in his preparation and his belief, and he's a baller. He's really, really good. I would love a chance to play with him again."