Vikings are confident Kirk Cousins will continue…

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The Vikings have announced an agreement in principle on a one-year extension with quarterback Kirk Cousins. The press release includes quotes from G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Cousins.

“Kirk was one of the first players I called when I joined the Vikings, and it was immediately clear how much he cares about this organization and about winning,” Adofo-Menshah said. “High level quarterback play is a prerequisite to building a championship team, and we are confident Kirk will continue along that path.”

Said Cousins: “I am thrilled for the opportunity to play for Kevin [O’Connell] and could not be more excited about the direction of our team. As soon as we return to TCO Performance Center next month, we will begin working toward our collective goal of bringing a championship to Vikings fans.”

Plenty of Vikings fans had been hoping that the new regime would be bringing a new quarterback. There was chatter regarding a trade, and reports of potential interest in Deshaun Watson. In the end, the Vikings and Cousins agreed to kick the lame-duck can to 2023, creating much-needed cap relief of nearly $14 million will picking up another $5 million this year and $30 million next year.

If Cousins has a big year in his first year with O’Connell, another extension is possible. For now, the focus is to get the O’Connell-Cousins partnership off on the right foot, especially since the Zimmer-Cousins partnership was a perennial peg leg.