As arguably the most sought-after player in NFL free agency, quarterback Kirk Cousins had plenty of intriguing options after he left the Washington Redskins. The Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, and Denver Broncos all expressed interest, but the reigning NFC North champions came out on top.

With Cousins now having signed a lucrative, fully guaranteed three-year deal with the Vikings, the 29-year-old has let it be known why he chose the Vikings in free agency. Although money played a factor in his decision for obvious reasons, Cousins liked the leadership he saw in Minnesota from the front office on down, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

“I think leadership is such a big part of having success in this league,” Kirk Cousins said on PFT Live. “Head coaches, general managers, ownership. The people who are making the big decisions and are steering the culture of your building and of your team. Those people have a major impact on your chances to win. The fact that there’s stability and also strong leadership from that standpoint excites me and had a big role in our decision to come to Minnesota. Just can’t wait to get started, get to know my teammates, and get to work.”

Along with the leadership and $84 million he's due to make over the next three years in Minnesota, the Vikings were arguably the franchise with the best chance to compete for a Super Bowl title right away among the teams interested in signing him.

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Minnesota is coming off a solid season in which the team was able to make it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Unfortunately, Case Keenum and company fell short to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

With Cousins under center and the team determined to be the team to beat in the NFC next season, it'll be interesting to see how things pan out during the 2018 campaign for Minnesota. The Vikings will be expected to be one of the best teams on both sides of the football next season with Cousins having a lot of pressure to show results right away in his first year with the NFC heavyweights.