How Vikings' Justin Jefferson makes Kirk Cousins' contract situation so important

With Justin Jefferson due for a contract extension, the Vikings will have to make the right call on Kirk Cousins' next contract.

The Minnesota Vikings have a very important offseason ahead of them. Kirk Cousins is hitting free agency, Justin Jefferson needs a contract extension and the NFC North is becoming a much tougher division. They’re going to nail the moves they make this spring as they try to build a contender.

According to Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, Cousins is expected to be a hot commodity in free agency despite his age and Achilles tear. While the Vikings could pursue “a more economical veteran” (i.e. a cheap, fringe starter) or draft a quarterback with their No. 11 overall pick, it’s of the utmost importance that they relay their plans to Jefferson so that talks on a contract extension can go more smoothly.

“Complicating matters is that superstar receiver Justin Jefferson is also up for a new contract after talks didn’t yield a deal before last season. Jefferson is a Cousins fan and will want to know the quarterback plan before signing on for the long haul,” write the NFL Network insiders.

Jefferson, of course, is the most important player the Vikings have right now. They have to make sure he's on board with the plan and willing to stay with the team. Even though it doesn’t have to be directly catered to him, the plan has to be good enough to convince him to sign long-term. The sky-high value of his contract should be there — and he earned it. But that may not be enough of an incentive to sign if it's for a team with instability under center.

While it is helpful for the Vikings that their quarterback and superstar wide receiver have a good relationship, committing to Cousins would be a massively risk venture. At the very least, Minnesota should start planning to find his replacement.

Drafting a QB makes sense in the second or third round makes sense if they can’t trade into a pick that allows them to get Caleb Williams, Drake Maye or Jayden Daniels. They could try to get Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr. They’ve also been linked to Russell Wilson but…nah. In the end, Minnesota has to figure out who's going to be throwing passes to Jefferson for the foreseeable future.