The Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins agreed Sunday to a one-year contract extension, his agent announced.
Cousins was scheduled to carry a salary cap charge of more than $45 million, making it imperative for the Vikings to reduce that number either by trading him or extending him with a deal that would flatten out his guaranteed money.
With new head coach Kevin O’Connell on board, having developed a strong relationship with Cousins as his quarterbacks coach when they were both with Washington in 2017, the Vikings opted to keep Cousins for at least the near future without a replacement in waiting on the roster.
Cousins passed for 4,221 yards and 33 touchdowns in 16 games last season. He threw only seven interceptions for the best interception percentage (1.2) of his career. He missed one game at Green Bay after testing positive for COVID-19.
Cousins is 59-59-2 as a starter in the NFL, plus 1-2 in the playoffs. He has played the last four years for the Vikings, who went 8-9 in 2021.
*Dave Campbell, AP
