Cousins officially signs 3-year deal with Vikings
Kirk Cousins is officially a Minnesota Viking.
The free-agent quarterback signed a three-year contract with the team, his agent, Mike McCartney, confirmed Thursday.
OOOOOWEEEE!@KirkCousins8 is officially a Viking! pic.twitter.com/aMDPMtqFq1
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) March 15, 2018
The landmark deal is for three years and $84 million fully guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who also notes Cousins can win another $6 million in bonuses that include Super Bowl-related incentives.
Cousins' contract comes with a base salary of $22.5 million in 2018, $27.5 million in 2019, and $29.5 million in 2020 with resulting cap hits of $24 million, $29 million, and $31 million in the next three seasons. He can be franchise tagged a final time in 2021 but it would cost the Vikings $44.64 million, according to The MMQB's Albert Breer.
Cousins and his agent first approached the Washington Redskins in 2016 with the idea of a three-year, fully guaranteed contract, Breer adds, but the club opted instead to franchise tag him for two seasons.
The 29-year-old made one visit once free agency opened. He was wined and dined in Minnesota on Wednesday and spent the following day visiting the team's facilities.
The Vikings will hold an introductory press conference at 3:30 p.m. CT.