Prior to the official start of the NFL free agency period, Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins made the decision to agree to join the Minnesota Vikings on a three-year, fully-guaranteed $84 million deal. This is the first deal of its kind in league history with no player ever garnering a fully guaranteed deal.
Cousins had also received plenty of interest from a few other teams in the league that had likely driven up the price tag. According to Chad Graff of the Pioneer Press, his agent stated that the contract that he chose to sign with the Vikings wasn't even the biggest offer presented to him.
Kirk Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney: “We didn’t take the best offer. … Not even close.”
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) March 15, 2018
Although McCartney didn't reveal where the bigger offers came from, it isn't difficult to connect the dots back to the New York Jets, who were widely believed to be aggressive in trying to lure in Cousins. In fact, these comments seem to suggest that the offer that the Jets presented could have possibly been approaching $100 million in what could have been guaranteed money.
Article Continues BelowAt the same time, McCartney also stated that Cousins had asked for teams to send their best offers to him this past Monday and still received a few more the following day.
Mike McCartney, Kirk Cousins’ agent, said he asked teams to send him their best offer on Monday and said he and Kirk would choose one visit after receiving the offers. Said they stuck with Vikings even after other teams increased their offer on Tuesday.
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) March 15, 2018
There may have been more lucrative offers on the table, but Cousins took the opportunity that gave him the best chance to win. He is joining a team that had reached the NFC championship game for the first time in eight years. They also possess a well-rounded team on both sides of the ball with arguably top defense in the league. Meanwhile, they have a few promising talents in wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Digg along with a promising running back in Dalvin Cook.
Minnesota has the pieces in place to become a serious title contender in the 2018 season and possibly beyond that. Ultimately, time will tell if this was the best landing spot for Cousins.