Report: Vikings unwilling to give Cousins fully guaranteed deal

The Minnesota Vikings are unwilling to give quarterback Kirk Cousins a fully guaranteed contract, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

Cousins signed a three-year, $84-million fully guaranteed deal with the club in 2018. He later signed two extensions that kept him in Minnesota until the end of the 2023 campaign. Cousins is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

Minnesota reportedly spoke with Cousins' camp last week, and the two sides are maintaining contact.

The regime that signed Cousins to his 2018 contract is no longer with the Vikings, as general manager Rick Spielman and head coach Mike Zimmer were fired in 2021 and replaced with Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O'Connell.

Cousins tore his Achilles in Week 8 of the 2023 campaign. He was on pace to have one of the better seasons of his career, totaling 2,331 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and only five interceptions in eight contests.

Minnesota currently has $23.8 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap. Nick Mullens and Jaren Hall are the only quarterbacks the Vikings have under contract for the 2024 season.

The 35-year-old Cousins has 39,471 passing yards with 270 touchdowns in 150 career games.